Who is the best Test player of this generation?

WTC final 2023: India's star batter Virat Kohli praised Australian batter Steve Smith, naming him the "best Test player" of this generation.

Before the start of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, Virat Kohli featured in a video where he lauded Smith.

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While addressing media, Virat Kohli said that, “Steve Smith, is the best Test player of this generation. He has displayed that his adaptability is absolutely brilliant. You take any cricketer of this generation... in 85-90 Tests, he has an. The consistency and impact with which he scores runs, I haven't seen anyone else doing that in last 10 years. Definitely, Steve Smith, along with Marnus Labuschagne, is their main players in the batting order because they control their batting lineup.”   

"Smith has always done well against us and he has performed in England. You want to dismiss him as soon as possible because he can have a match-winning impact," Kohli added.

Notably, 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. Steve Smith has scored 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. Smith too has scored eight test hundreds as well as five fifties against India.

Smith's highest test score against India is 192 at Australia's largest cricket stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, while Kohli's highest test score against Australia is 186 in India's largest cricket stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Australia ended at the top of the WTC table with 11 wins, three losses, and five draws in 19 matches whereas India ended in second position with 10 wins, five losses and three draws.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.

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Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w),  Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.

- ANI

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