IND vs AUS 2017: Steve Smith Gives his Take on Why Virat Kohli has Scored So Many ODI Centuries
Sep 17, 2017 at 2:31 PM
The number of Test centuries Virat Kohli has scored so far is on par with his contemporaries who are being consistently compared with him. Kohli has scored 17 tons in the longest format of the game while Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson have scored 20, 13 and 17 centuries, respectively. However, when it comes to One-Day Internationals, the India skipper is well ahead of the rest.
The 28-year old has scored a staggering 30 centuries in only 194 ODIs while Smith, Root and Williamson have managed 8, 10 and nine tons so far. In fact, Kohli leads the second highest centurion among the current players, Hashim Amla by five centuries. The Indian star is currently level with Ricky Ponting and is only ahead Sachin Tendulkar in the list of most centuries in 50-over cricket.
But, while his unprecedented has shocked many, Smith has an interesting take on it. The Australia skipper, while admitting his Indian counterpart is a ‘very good player’, feels Kohli has managed to leave other players behind because India plays a lot more ODI cricket.
“I think India play a lot more ODI cricket than we do. I’m not sure how many games Virat has played. He is a very good player,” said Smith who has played 98 ODIs so far.
Smith also made it clear that personal accolades do not bother him and he is looking forward to guiding his team to victory in the five-match series.
“I am not worried about personal accolades. I am here to try and win a series. The Indian team has a very good top seven, and all guys are capable of scoring big runs. Our bowlers have to be on the top of their game to keep them quiet this series,” the 28-year-old added.
Meanwhile, Kohli, speaking before the first ODI, had said he does not play for centuries, and he ends up reaching the three-digit mark because he does not think about them.
“I don’t play for the three-figure mark maybe that’s why I end up crossing it more times because I am not thinking about it. So I don’t put myself under pressure in terms of ‘I need to achieve a landmark’. For me, what’s most important is to win the match for the team. As I said before, even if I am 98 not out or 99 not out, I don’t mind, as long as I win the game. In that process things end up happening because you want to stay till the end,” he had said.