Hi guys making my debut here. Here are my thoughts on the matter.
As a batsman, Virat Kohli is the best in the world right now irrespective of the format. The range of shots, technique, gift of timing, temperament, fitness, desire to score runs... He has everything. It's hard to find another batsman who is so complete. Test cricket is one format where he hadn't delivered. Fluent stroke players are often not up there in the list of best test batsmen. They have a wider range of shots and the temptation to play at the ball is high and comes naturally to them. More scoring shots (read opening the bat face or playing away from the body) means greater probability of getting out. The commentators were showing the other day how two balls at pretty much the same line and length were played differently by Kohli and Pujara. Kohli opened the face of the bat towards cover for a single whereas Pujara just defended it.
Now where Smith has been better in Tests is effectiveness. He has been more effective and successful as a batsman in Tests simply because he stays longer at the crease without getting out and scores runs consistently. Apart from him having great hand-eye coordination and skills, there are some important technical reasons. By the time the ball leaves the bowler's hand, the guy is at middle and off stump. This can limit a batsman's shot range (even his cover drive sometimes look more like a dab than a fluent swing of the bat) but what it does is take out the danger of off stump, fourth and fifth stump lines to a great extent which is a huge advantage. He can play the deliveries outside off stump close to his body. The closer your bat is to the body the lesser the chance of getting an edge (this is where you need footwork with a conventional batting style). He can even play balls on that line on the on side which he often does. He can also leave the balls at wider lines because he's already pretty much covering the off stump line. The problem with this stance/shuffling is getting trapped in front of the wicket. This can happen when you fall over on the front foot getting beaten by movement of the ball or get caught on the back foot misjudging the length or playing a cross batted shot. But despite of the shuffle across the stumps, Steve Smith is so well balanced and still when he faces the ball that he can monouevre the ball on his pads with pretty much no foot movement at all. This makes it extremely difficult to trap him in front of the stumps. And against the spinners he stays leg side of the ball and has very good foot work. Smith's batting style is something that incidentally happened to suit cricket. A technique that helps him preserve his wicket in exchange for fluent shot making, which is basically why I don't rate him above Kohli.
Kohli had not been batting like a really great test batsman. Batting in tests is all about a balance between good shot selection and a conservative mindset to prolong your stay at the crease. His recent performances point towards a marked improvement in that regard. Maintaining this consistency against tougher opponents will be the challenge for him. If he can continue batting like this, he will go past Steve Smith. As a batsman Kohli is at a totally different level to anybody in the arena.
For now until Kohli converts his potential into consistent performances like the recent ones in Test cricket one will have to say Steve Smith is more effective in Tests as he has climbed greater heights.
. Thanks a lot for the appreciation.
