Ian Chappell, the former Australian cricketer, made his pick between Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. Both Virat and Smith are deemed to be two of the most dynamic batsmen of the current generation. Even as Smith has excelled in Test cricket, the 31-year-old Virat has dictated terms in all formats of the sport. Hence, comparisons have flooded in for the enigmatic duo.

The duo has also been fighting for the number one slot in Test cricket. At the time when  Smith was serving the one-year ban from Cricket Australia (CA), Virat was the ICC’s top-ranked batter. But when Smith came back in the 2019 Ashes, he regained his top spot. As far as Chappell is concerned, he recently spoke to sports presenter Raunak Kapoor

To start with, Raunak did a rapid fire round where he asked Chappell to pick between Virat and Smith. But then, Chappell asked “As captain or batsman?” To which Raunak said, “You tell me.” Chappell then stated, “I’d take Kohli both ways, as captain and batsman.”

Kohli and Smith weaving magic

Smith didn’t play Test cricket for over a year after he was found guilty in the ball-tampering scandal back in March 2018 at the Newlands in Cape Town. He was stripped off the leadership role as well. But on his comeback Test at the Edgbaston in Birmingham, he smashed a century and announced his return. In the very next Test at the Lord’s, he developed concussion.

But then, he came back and smacked a ton in the fourth Test. In that very game, the Aussies also managed to retain the Ashes on overseas soil. Being at the peak of his glorious and rich career, Smith is only expected to get better and break a number of other records going ahead into the future.

Virat, on the other hand, has stockpiled runs in heaps and has hardly looked troubled. He had a bit of a lean patch in the Test series versus New Zealand, where he got a few low scores. But bearing in mind the quality he has, it’s only a matter of time before Virat return to his very best at the highest level.