Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith: A Comparison Of The Titans As India Take On Australia In WTC Final

07.06.2023 - 07:43 sports.ndtv.com

India is all set to take on Australia in the World Test Championship 2023 from June 7 onwards at The Oval. Let us look at two mavericks from both the teams as star batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith prepare for their clash at the WTC Final.

Virat Kohli, who roared back to form across all formats from late 2022 onwards has a total of 1979 runs in Tests with an average of 48.26 and a strike rate of 52.25 against Australia.

While Australia's star batter Steve Smith has scored a total of 1887 Test runs with an average of 65.06 and a strike rate of 52.79 against India.

Kohli has a total of eight Test hundreds and five fifties against Australia and his Australian counterpart is on par with the Indian star as Smith too has scored eight Test hundreds as well as five fifties against India.

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Star India batter Virat Kohli is driven by 'belief' rather than 'hope', feels veteran India pacer Ishant Sharma. Having played with Kohli since their U-17 days in Delhi, Ishant has seen the ups and downs in the former India captain's career. Known as the 'chase master', Kohli has won so many games for India, especially when other players had a bad day at the office. One such iconic knock came from his bat last year against Pakistan during the T20 World Cup in Australia. Speaking in a recent interaction, Ishant recalled an incident from their U-19 days when Kohli partied all knight and ended up scoring a 250 next day.

"What Are You Doing...": Australia Star Reveals Virat Kohli's Advice During WTC Final

The World Test Championship final turned out to be a nightmare for Team India as they faced a 209-run defeat against Australia. In the chase of 444, the Rohit Sharma-led side was bundled out for 234 after Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland took four and three wickets respectively. Not only the bowlers but their batters too made vital contributions to the team's victory. Travis Head and Steve Smith brought up their respective hundreds and comfortably dominated the Indian bowlers. Apart from them, there was another player who also utterly impressed everyone and he was wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey.

"...Since Virat Kohli Stepped Down": Ex Pak Star's Blunt Take On Rohit Sharma's Captaincy

India's failure in the World Test Championship final for the second consecutive occasion has raised many questions on the team's leadership structure. Rohit Sharma, who took over the captaincy after Virat Kohli stepped down last year, isn't in the finest of forms with the bat and has seen his captaincy being questioned too. Former Pakistan batter Salman Butt, in his analysis of India's Test performances under Rohit, said that it's been downhill for the subcontinent giants since Kohli stepped down.

"Problem Lies In Senior Players": Ex-India Selector's Take On WTC Final Loss

With India losing World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval in London, former India team selector Sarandeep Singh said there "was some slack in captaincy" and that Ravichandran Ashwin should have been part of the playing XI. India lost the ICC World Test Championship title for the second time after reaching the finals. Australia defeated India by 209 runs at The Oval on June 11 and made history by becoming the first-ever team to clinch all major ICC trophies.

Babar Azam Surpasses Virat Kohli, Steve Smith For Major Milestone In Test Cricket

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam tops the list ahead of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith with the highest batting average at the number four batting spot in the Test format after playing a minimum number of 15 innings. Babar has a phenomenal average of 69.10 after playing 20 innings. During this period he has struck 8 half-centuries and four tons. The former Australian skipper Steve Smith holds the second position with an average of 55.40 in 30 innings. He has scored 6 half-centuries and four hundred with his impeccable batting style.

"Never Going To Be Happy...": Rahul Dravid's Blunt Take On WTC Final Preparation

India's wait for their next ICC trophy continues as they lost to Australia in the World Test Championship final on Sunday at The Oval. Needing 280 runs to win with seven wickets in hand on Day 5, Team India was bundled out for 234 within the first session as Australia registered a victory by 209 runs. With this win, Australia became the first team to clinch all four ICC titles. For India, it was another heartbreak as their batting order failed to deliver on the same ground, where Australian batters had set a huge target of 444.