Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas believes Steve Smith is the best Test batsman currently, but then he rates Virat Kohli as a complete package and the best batsman if all the three formats are taken into consideration. “But yeah, Steve Smith is more consistent than Kohli in Test cricket. He scores in almost every series he plays. Even the other Australian — David Warner — has been doing well,” Abbas told The Telegraph.
“But as I said, a batsman needs to perform in all formats and in that sense, Kohli is more consistent in the other versions as well,” he further added.
He also added that it was unfair to compare players across eras and hence, cannot hail anyone as an all-time great player.
“If you want to establish yourself as the top batsman in world cricket, you have to be consistent in all formats. That’s fundamental.
“Waise bhi bahut hi zyaada cricket khelte hai Indian team (In any case, the Indian team plays too much of cricket). A top player like Kohli too is a part of most of those matches, and he can’t get bored too because that’s his profession and has given him so much.
Abbas even hailed Kohli as a phenomenon who has been consistent and believes, that there not many batsmen who could match the Indian captain.
“Just look at what Kohli has achieved over the years Also, he is not a machine. Even a machine sometimes mal-functions. At this moment, there aren’t many who can parallel Kohli,” Abbas said.
On Babar Azam, the former skipper said that the young man has to keep scoring in all the formats and then go on to scale bigger heights.
“Babar has been the most consistent batsman for Pakistan, having performed in all formats. I just hope he keeps on scoring and scales bigger heights,” Zaheer Abbas concluded.
