Former South African captain Graeme Smith said Virat Kohli was what the sport required to keep Test cricket alive.
Kohli has had a magnificent 2018 wherein he sealed his stature as being one of the best in the world. He even became the fastest ever to score 10,000 ODI runs surpassing a long list of greats the likes of which include the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
“World cricket is lacking a huge amount of superstars. Maybe one or two in England. I think Virat (Kohli) is that guy (superstar),” said Smith in his speech at the Jagmohan Dalmiya Annual Conclave (Chapter II) on Friday in Kolkata.
“The fact that he loves Test cricket and puts in performances, it keeps Test cricket relevant in a country that loves the game with IPL and other T20s. It’s huge for the game.
“As long as Virat keeps promoting Test cricket as an icon and superstar, we all have the chance to keep the game relevant,” the former Proteas opener further added.
A veteran of 117 Test matches where he led the side in 109 of them, Smith attributed the misery of five-day games to the use of Kookaburra balls, something he feels cannot be “afforded” by the format.
These comments come after the Indian team, including Kohli has been critical with the use of SG balls.
“It’s a ball that softens and does not swing for a long period of time. I think Test cricket cannot afford to have boring draws.
“It needs the ball to spin, it needs the ball to swing and movement in the air. It needs competition between the bat and the ball so as to keep Test cricket stay relevant,” he opined.
Smith also came up with a simple solution to keep Test cricket alive and that is to bring about more competitiveness in the format.
“Unfortunately in Test cricket, we have lost a few dynamic teams. There are teams who are going through transformation phases. I believe if world cricket is competitive all formats will work,” he said.
“Test cricket is the ultimate test of your ability and skill and your physical state. The challenge is to get competitive teams outside the top three. Then if we add some of the nuances people will start take seriously,” Smith added.
Also read: ICC ODI rankings: Virat Kohli continues to make merry at the top
India would take on Australia in a Test series in December and Smith backed them to win the four-match essay Down Under.
Earlier, India faced a 1-4 loss to England and 1-2 to South Africa at the beginning of the year in overseas conditions. But Smith heaped praise on India’s bowling attack, saying that they have seamers who can “hurt” the opposition.
They (India) will be disappointed that they have not won a Test series in South Africa and England. Certainly, the ability is there. I think they can challenge teams in their own conditions. They have the talent and ability to do well in Australia,” he said.
“India’s seam attack is one of the best that we have seen. Not just one, but the whole attack is outstanding. You now have young seamers who can hurt the opposition,” he concluded.