Smith and Kohli are the best, but two totally different batsmen

Tags: India, Australia, Steven Barry Smith, Glenn Donald McGrath, Virat Kohli

Published on: Aug 08, 2019

With twin tons in his first Test since the embarrassing ban over ball tampering, former Australia captain Steve Smith has won back a lot of admirers. Smith's hundred in each innings of the first Ashes Test not only enabled Australia to recover from 122 for 8, but they also went on to clinch the match and a crucial 1-0 lead in the series.

Among the ones in joining in the praise for Smith is Aussie legend Glenn McGrath, who feels Smith will be rather special by the end of his career. "He will be pretty special by the end of his career, he has got an average of more than 60. He is not your conventional, technically-correct batsman. He is one of the very few batsmen who can adapt his game according to the conditions on offer," McGrath was quoted as saying in an NDTV report.

McGrath added that it needs a lot of mental toughness to come out and achieve what Smith has done, considering all that he has gone through in the last 12 months and also the constant booing that he has to constantly face each time he comes out to bat.

"You have to go out there and let the bat do the talking. It's been 16 or 17 months since what happened in South Africa, it's time to be left in the past. The crowd was giving Smith a pretty hard time. For him to come out there and perform shows the mental strength he has," McGrath, who was in Chennai, added.

There was the expected question asked on the comparison between Smith and Indian skipper Virat Kohli. But, McGrath did not out one as the better one, instead stating both are the best in the world at the moment.

"They are the world's best at the moment. In the new breed, it used to be these two, Joe Root and Kane Williamson. Root is not quite his old self, while Williamson is quality. If you just pick Smith and Kohli, they are two totally different batsmen," he added.

McGrath is also of the view that Rohit Sharma can still revive his international career, admitting that he is surprised the ODI opener hasn't been as successful at the Test level, especially considering his talent and temperament.

"Rohit is a class player. I have always been surprised why his longer version stats have not been as good as his ODI numbers. He has got good technique, seems to have a good temperament. He is a quality player. I see no reason why he shouldn't be successful in Test cricket too," he further said in the report.

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