Virat Kohli vs Kane Williamson vs Joe Root vs Steven Smith: Who would you pick in your team?

[Texaco]

Nah, KW isn't in the same league as those 3. He's in the Rahane league, don't let a good year of international cricket tell you other wise.

I think it will finish like this Kohli, Root and then Smith.


Is that you Alchemy bhai?

Your guess is as good as mine.

[Texaco]

It's a very tough one.

Tests l'll go with Smith.

LOIs, Kohli it is.

What had Kohli done in odi WC

[street cricketer]

What had Kohli done in odi WC

The question is for ODI world cup only?

[GrandMaster]

What had Kohli done in odi WC

Scored a century against Pakistan

[Texaco]

The question is for ODI world cup only?

I suppose that is the pinnacle of odi cricket.

[Texaco]

Scored a century against Pakistan

And it is enough ?

[Mamoon]

Tests: Root

Limited Overs: Kohli

These two are the Tendulkar and Lara types of this generation. Smith is great too but he's more of a Steve Waugh, will spend most of his career in their shadow because he lacks the flair and appeal.

[street cricketer]

I suppose that is the pinnacle of odi cricket.

That isn't the be all end all of cricket. AB hasn't set the world alight in world cups, but he'll be the first name in everyone's team sheet in ODIs.

[IndoorCricket]

I suppose that is the pinnacle of odi cricket.

Who cares about meaningless world cup league matches when we can beat you in your backyard in the bilateral which finally matters.

Contradictory statements

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Root or Smith


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Texaco]

Contradictory statements

No.

[Texaco]

That isn't the be all end all of cricket. AB hasn't set the world alight in world cups, but he'll be the first name in everyone's team sheet in ODIs.

So only while beating Pakistan for Indians WC matches are everything?

[IndoorCricket]

No.

According to you world cup league matches are meaningless in other thread and world cup is pinnacle of cricket in this thread. You are contradicting yourself.

[Messiah]

For me, smith for tests. Kohli for ODI.

Joe root over smith in tests? Thats surprising. I guess root's t20 form has been in some people's mind.

[street cricketer]

So only while beating Pakistan for Indians WC matches are everything?

Did I say so?

[Texaco]

According to you world cup league matches are meaningless in other thread and world cup is pinnacle of cricket in this thread. You are contradicting yourself.

According to me, you need a better sarcasm reader.

[Ab Fan]

Tests- Smith>Root>Kohli
ODI- Kohli>Root/Smith
t20- Kohli>Root>Smith

[fusebulb]

I think this texaco fellow needs medication more than anything else.....

[Boxer]

On current form, tough decision between Root and Kohli

[Texaco]

Did I say so?

Indians are always hyping their WC h2h against Pakistan.

[speedking]

why can't cricket pundits adds mathews to this group and calls it fab5 instead of fab4 m Mathews is very underrated

[Abdullah]

I thought it should have been ATG Sabbir Rehman!

Give him two years- if he is a committed professional- he will beup there

[rudra]

root has improved as limited overs batsman...and he always had the big shots...smith is not up there in odis...and kane will go down amla and dravid way...excellent record but no match winner...

so at the moment root...
but no doubt kohli will start belting hundreds in tests also...50+ avg very soon.

[Anik Sharma]

Virat is the new insecurity of the Indians on PP.. Earlier it was tendulkar. If you don't pick him as the greatest you have seen, Indians will attack you.

Yeah..insecure Indians.

[Asim2Good]

Root still have do alot in tests
his avg in Aus is 27
his avg in NZ is 17
Yet to play in SL
Yes to Play full series in India
even though he did well in UAE but was unable to play any major role

Yes his away sample size is small but he has yet to proove himself

[street cricketer]

Indians are always hyping their WC h2h against Pakistan.

Both are important.

What's your point anyway.. I find Kohli a better choice than any others in my LOI team. Some people will select Root, some Smith, some AB or Amla. It's down to their choice.

[anuk]

Hard not to say kohli after his heroics the other day but root has the better resume.

[Last Monetarist]

It's subjective obviously but the way I rank it at the moment is:

1. Kohli
2. Smith
3. de Villiers
4. Amla
5. Williamson

[Asim2Good]

Kane Williamson in Tests
Avg in Eng : 30
Avg in India : 36
Yet to Play more in SA in recent times , so far avg of 10 in 2 tests

[jusarrived]

Virat easily , hes way ahead in LOI's and will overate every one in Tests pretty soon

[Prince_]

Kohli is ten times better than root, Williamson and Smith. All of them will have to born again to become a a good as Kohli. King Kohli all the way.


Kohli

Light years

ABD

few miles

Root, Smith, Williamson

[jade_solid]

Kohli>Root>Smith in LOI and Smith>Root>Kohli in Tests.

Overall I will still take Kohli because I think he's on the brink of proving himself as the best in the world in Tests too

[Cricketfan2016]

They unfortunately for you, are correct too.

LOL even your own people find your posts funny and generally very funny with no logic what os ever

[Dr_Bassim]

@Texaco.

Bad day for you again.

Don't worry, a couple of failures and you can spawn up again in this thread

[Cricfan4eva]

Root in tests

Kohli in LOI's

up until now both are far ahead than the rest in respective formats.

Root is coming up in LOI and Kohli has given indications in Aus tour that he's capable of turning it on big time in tests as well.

Exciting times ahead.

Smith IMO is going through a peak and his technique will not let him sustain the kind of performance he's been putting up for long. He'll be a 40-45 avg player across formats.

[shahid1984]

@Texaco.

Bad day for you again.

Don't worry, a couple of failures and you can spawn up again in this thread

Texaco eating his words for dinner

[captain.hansolo]

In which format?
If it's tests then Smith if it's odi's and t20's then kohli all the way.

that too may evolve... he is getting better at tests with passing days.

almost single-handedly took india to victory in the first test down under, and would have had umpired not given rahane a shocker.

[Texaco]

@Texaco.

Bad day for you again.

Don't worry, a couple of failures and you can spawn up again in this thread

India is losing it.

[Texaco]

@Texaco.

Bad day for you again.

Don't worry, a couple of failures and you can spawn up again in this thread

He is a very good t20 batsman.. Best I have seen.. But on pattas less skilled players than him can outshine him. It is sad to see a player of his calibre being outshone by hacks like Russel. More bowler friendly pitches will be good for WC.

[Hasan123]

The test for root is scoring away in India and Australia, smiths test is in England but that is far away so scoring in South Africa and when they play in India next year will help his cause. kohli will be playing Home series mostly in the near future so expecting him too improve his test record

[MMHS]

Nah, KW isn't in the same league as those 3. He's in the Rahane league, don't let a good year of international cricket tell you other wise.

I think it will finish like this Kohli, Root and then Smith.


Is that you Alchemy bhai?

I like Will for his style & completeness. It's like Mark Waugh or Victor Trumper - rated among ATG for the style & grace.

At present all 4 are in great touch, but Will started 2/3 later as he is younger, while other 3 has gone into their peak. Once they finish their career, I think the order 'll be Root/Will, Virat, Smith.

Virat can break all sorts of LO record, because the game has gone into batting feast era; but he is 4th among these as Test batsman.

[Prince_]

India is losing it.

It isn't his fault that the ****** Indian bowlers couldn't defend a score above 190 in a t20 game or his selfish batting partner eating out half of the deliveries of an entire innings to score a miserable 40.

[ads101]

Root is better overall when you take all formats into consideration, excellent in every single format.

But would still rather have Kohli. Much better in LOI and feel like only a matter of time before he'll start matching the other two in tests too.

[Texaco]

It isn't his fault that the ****** Indian bowlers couldn't defend a score above 190 in a t20 game or his selfish batting partner eating out half of the deliveries of an entire innings to score a miserable 40.

What happened to the match winner tag?

[superfan]

Who wouldn’t want to have these players in their team? All four of these players are about the same age (25-27). You can’t pick one over the other due to the age factor, since they all should be able to play at a high level for at least another 10 years.

You can argue that Virat Kohli is probably the most popular among the list, whereas, Steven Smith appears to be slightly ahead of the pack in the test matches. You can probably also argue that Kane Williamson and Steven Smith are probably better leaders at this point. They all have various but differing qualities that make it difficult to predict who would go on to have a more successful career.

What would be the key point while making your final selection?

[aliasad1998]

Kohli

[IslamabadUnited]

Kohli - He will bring his good luck with him.

[Ab Fan]

Ab de Villiers and Virat Kohli- these two guys are versatile, charismatic, popular and has a huge fan base all over the world.

[dauntless]

Joe root

[nish_mate]

Root

[BD-fan]

Current form it has to be between Kohli and Williamson. They are the most consistent player among the four. The separation is not by that much though.

Toss up. I did with heads Kohli and Tails KW. It came up with Heads.

[Red Devil]

Kohli over anybody tbh, maybe apart from AB.

[rhony]

Current form it has to be between Kohli and Williamson. They are the most consistent player among the four. The separation is not by that much though.

Toss up. I did with heads Kohli and Tails KW. It came up with Heads.

How? On current form it should be a toss up between Kohli and Root

[BD-fan]

How? On current form it should be a toss up between Kohli and Root

It is Williamson and not Root I said.

In ALL FORMAT:

Since 2013 he is averaging 54 in all format scored 15 centuries.
Since 2014 he is averaging 58 in all format scored 13 centuries.
Since 2015 he is averaging 57 in all format scored 08 centuries.

How is that about consistency? LINK for the last stats

In test,
Since 2013 he is averaging 59.
Since 2014 he is averaging 70.
Since 2015 he is averaging 77. ;)

[BD-fan]

Root in all format
Since 2013 avg 48
Since 2014 avg 52
Since 2015 avg 52

[rhony]

It is Williamson and not Root I said.

In ALL FORMAT:

Since 2013 he is averaging 54 in all format scored 15 centuries.
Since 2014 he is averaging 58 in all format scored 13 centuries.
Since 2015 he is averaging 57 in all format scored 08 centuries.

How is that about consistency? LINK for the last stats

In test,
Since 2013 he is averaging 59.
Since 2014 he is averaging 70.
Since 2015 he is averaging 77. ;)

Root and Williamson are at par in tests but Root is clearly ahead of Kane in LOIs.

[BD-fan]

Root in Test
Since 2013 avg 54
Since 2014 avg 68
Since 2015 avg 59.7

He is very good. Envy Good. But the numbers are not as good as Williamson. Now if you bring in his bowling capabilities them Williamson steam rolls him with captaincy/leadership.

[BD-fan]

Root and Williamson are at par in tests but Root is clearly ahead of Kane in LOIs.

I bet you have not followed Williamson recently or may be not close enough. That is all I have to say. He has transformed NZ recently almost single handedly. Especially after BAZ's retirement.

Williamson in consistency is par with Lord Kohli who is in recent tear.

[rhony]

I bet you have not followed Williamson recently or may be not close enough. That is all I have to say. He has transformed NZ recently almost single handedly. Especially after BAZ's retirement.

Williamson in consistency is par with Lord Kohli who is in recent tear.

I did. I also watched Root in the recent SA series and the T20 WC. Root is at par with Kohli in LOIs at the moment and with Williamson in tests. Overall, Root is the best batsman in the world today with Kohli, Williamson closely behind.

[BD-fan]

@rhony

Root is not as consistent in recent times as Kane even in limited overs.

Root
Since 2013 ODIs avg 44.34 T20 39.6
Since 2014 ODIs avg 46.33 T20 33.5
Since 2015 ODIs avg 48.81 T20 41.1

Kane
Since 2013 ODIs avg 53.66 T20 40.0
Since 2014 ODIs avg 56.92 T20 40.1
Since 2015 ODIs avg 52.29 T20 43.9

No one in sane mind would say Root is better than Kane or more consistent.

[Sandeep]

In tests and ODIs you can gauge a player by average, but T20s are more about impact. I'd say Kohli is ahead in T20s..

In tests, Kane Williamson all the way. Steve Smith and Joe Root are both close second. Kohli is nowhere in the picture.

In ODIs, need I even say? King Kohli rules 'em all

[Haroon786]

Smith.

[Hasan123]

Root is a fabulous player no doubt, but I think people are rating him even more highly due too his performance in t20 World Cup. These are the same people who say don't judge someone from t20s. Look at his record in Australia it's not great nd in the UAE he didn't even score a century. Kohli scored 4 centuries in 4 games in Australia I don't think root will do that the next time he plays in Australia. In tests the order for me is,

Root, smith, Williamson, kohli.

[HitWicket]

Root is a fabulous player no doubt, but I think people are rating him even more highly due too his performance in t20 World Cup. These are the same people who say don't judge someone from t20s. Look at his record in Australia it's not great nd in the UAE he didn't even score a century. Kohli scored 4 centuries in 4 games in Australia I don't think root will do that the next time he plays in Australia. In tests the order for me is,

Root, smith, Williamson, kohli.

I expect next time the pitches will be a lot more flat than the previous given the trends in Aussie pitches recently and there won't be as strong a bowling attack in the raging form they were in. That was probably one of the toughest tours any pretty new batsman to international cricket could face given the teams situation and low team morale throughout most of the series so I seriously expect him to up on it next time.

Is that last list from worst to best?

[Sachin136]

I did. I also watched Root in the recent SA series and the T20 WC. Root is at par with Kohli in LOIs at the moment and with Williamson in tests. Overall, Root is the best batsman in the world today with Kohli, Williamson closely behind.

Kohli is an ATG in ODIs and T20s, while Root isn't even close. In tests Williamson has performed everywhere but Root has a mediocre record in Australia and New Zealand.

[Sandeep]

Funny how people think Root and Kohli are equals in LOIs. Not even close! Root is currently a better test batsman than Kohli but that too might change soon..

[FreePalestine]

Speaking only about tests I assume. In which case:

Williamson today, Root tomorrow.

[Hasan123]

I expect next time the pitches will be a lot more flat than the previous given the trends in Aussie pitches recently and there won't be as strong a bowling attack in the raging form they were in. That was probably one of the toughest tours any pretty new batsman to international cricket could face given the teams situation and low team morale throughout most of the series so I seriously expect him to up on it next time.

Is that last list from worst to best?

The list is from best to worst yes. I agree with your analysis on root btw.

[rhony]

@rhony

Root is not as consistent in recent times as Kane even in limited overs.

Root
Since 2013 ODIs avg 44.34 T20 39.6
Since 2014 ODIs avg 46.33 T20 33.5
Since 2015 ODIs avg 48.81 T20 41.1

Kane
Since 2013 ODIs avg 53.66 T20 40.0
Since 2014 ODIs avg 56.92 T20 40.1
Since 2015 ODIs avg 52.29 T20 43.9

No one in sane mind would say Root is better than Kane or more consistent.

No one in their sane mind just blindly looks at stats when judging a player. Root had a stellar T20 WC and has been phenomenal in 2016 overall

[rhony]

Kohli is an ATG in ODIs and T20s, while Root isn't even close. In tests Williamson has performed everywhere but Root has a mediocre record in Australia and New Zealand.

Read 'At the moment' in my comment. Root is in terrific form and is playing very well along with Kohli.

[BD-fan]

No one in their sane mind just blindly looks at stats when judging a player.

Absolutely. See Man of the Matches award. Williamson had more Man of the Match awards than Joe Root.

Root had a stellar T20 WC and has been phenomenal in 2016 overall

And Williamson had a bigger one and even bigger one in 2015. The distance between them gets even bigger if 2014 is included. So what is the problem saying Williamson is more consistent than Joe Root?

Those who followed his progression knows. Those who are blind or didn't follow they don't know.

It is okay to say Root is great. Outstanding year or two. But there are others who have performed even better than him. Not that difficult to see.

[rhony]

Absolutely. See Man of the Matches award. Williamson had more Man of the Match awards than Joe Root.
And Williamson had a bigger one and even bigger one in 2015. The distance between them gets even bigger if 2014 is included. So what is the problem saying Williamson is more consistent than Joe Root?

Those who followed his progression knows. Those who are blind or didn't follow they don't know.

It is okay to say Root is great. Outstanding year or two. But there are others who have performed even better than him. Not that difficult to see.

Williamson was a failure in 2015 WC. I never said Williamson was poor. Not in any sense. He's been stellar as well but I'd pick Root and Kohli at the moment

[BD-fan]

Williamson was a failure in 2015 WC. I never said Williamson was poor. Not in any sense. He's been stellar as well but I'd pick Root and Kohli at the moment

I am not questioning your pick either. You are the one who replied to my post questioning my selection. And I showed you my reasoning. This is the first time you are saying KW's short coming. Shall I point Root's? There were several but that is not my style. I will be defending my comments.

As for KW's World cup of 2015 performance, it came on the heel of 103, 26, 97, 54 (All SL), 112 (PAK) all in 2015.

In the WC:
50+ against SL - WIN
Highest scorer against Scotland - WIN
Notout against England - WIN
Notout against Australia - WIN

Semis guaranteed.

I'd take that "more than poor" when one is considering the entire tournament.

[Bilal7]

I follow RCB scores on cricinfo and ABD keeps outshining Kohli.

A microcosm showing that the established guard of great batsmen - Amla, AB, Younis and Cook - are a level ahead of the new prodigies on the scene; Kane, Root, Smith and Kohli. This is only true for the test format, in ODIS, only the South Africans are ahead.

[Suleiman]

Kohli. Don't need to feel insecure about it.

[Sachin136]

I follow RCB scores on cricinfo and ABD keeps outshining Kohli.

A microcosm showing that the established guard of great batsmen - Amla, AB, Younis and Cook - are a level ahead of the new prodigies on the scene; Kane, Root, Smith and Kohli. This is only true for the test format, in ODIS, only the South Africans are ahead.

For everything else the IPL is a joke and international cricket is the true test for players. But when it comes to putting Indian players down, the IPL is the best way to measure quality.

[Bilal7]

For everything else the IPL is a joke and international cricket is the true test for players. But when it comes to putting Indian players down, the IPL is the best way to measure quality.

My assessment would be true even if Kohli was outshining ABD in the IPL.

[street cricketer]

I follow RCB scores on cricinfo and ABD keeps outshining Kohli.

A microcosm showing that the established guard of great batsmen - Amla, AB, Younis and Cook - are a level ahead of the new prodigies on the scene; Kane, Root, Smith and Kohli. This is only true for the test format, in ODIS, only the South Africans are ahead.

I think you're following the wrong scores.

[Indiafan]

My assessment would be true even if Kohli was outshining ABD in the IPL.

Your assessment would be true even if he outshone ABD in every format :wink

But I agree, ABD is ahead, Kohli will reach there. Best part is Kohli will be more consistent than ABD as his cricket is more risk free

[The Good]

Kohli surprises you everytime with something greater. Amazing player.