Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are two of the best batsmen in the modern era and the debate of who’s better between the two has been a long time coming. Many cricket experts and pundits presented their views on the topic and Australian skipper Aaron Finch was the latest one to join the list. The veteran opener heaped praises on both the batsmen and called them ‘extra-ordinary.’ However, he picked his Australian teammate as the better player in the longest format of the game while Finch gave an edge to the Indian captain in limited-overs cricket owing to his fantastic record. Aaron Finch Dismisses Michael Clarke’s ‘Players Were Saving IPL Contracts’ Claims.

"In Test cricket, what is unbelievable about them is their records both home and away. Virat had a tough series in England last time with Jimmy Anderson but he came back and dominated. Smith has never really struggled anywhere to be fair. He is an unbelievable Test player. The thing that puts them above all is how dominant they are all around the world. There is one thing to play in your own country but to it everywhere is extraordinary," said Finch while talking to Sports Tak. India vs Australia 2020-21 Schedule, Free PDF Download: Get Fixtures and Venue Details of IND vs AUS T20I, Test and ODI Series.

As per the current ICC Test batting rankings, Smith holds the top spot while Kohli is placed at the second position. "Sometimes they get out early, but that's just part of the game but they do not miss out too many times in a row. When they get in they go big. I think Smith has an edge in Test cricket. Steve in Test cricket is unbelievable," Finch added further.

In white-ball cricket, however, Finch just didn’t give an edge to Kohli over Smith but also said that the Indian stalwart will become the greatest ODI batsman by the end of his career.

"By the time Virat Kohli finishes his career, he will be the best one-day player of all time, if he is not already. Playing against him is difficult but at times it is also beautiful to watch. It is like playing against anyone who is best of the best, regardless of whether it is Virat or Rohit or Kane Williamson or David Warner," he said.

Hailing Kohli’s ability to chase down targets with perfection, Finch said: "Sachin (Tendulkar) got more hundreds and more runs but the way Virat constructs run chases and the number of hundreds he has got in winning run chases is extra-ordinary. So, T20, Virat probably has the edge over Steve Smith and it is just because he has played a bit more cricket."

With already 70 international centuries against his name, Kohli is touted to go past Sachin’s tally of 100 international centuries. On the other hand, Smith is the fastest batsman to score 7000 Test runs and is expected to surpass many records in the longest format of the game.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2020 08:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).