Smith v Kohli (test match batting)

[Flem274*]

Smith has tailed off a bit in that he's having to fight noticeably harder to score runs, but that could also be down to the general increase in bowling quality through his career and teams developing strategies for him.

Kohli has fallen off a cliff in test cricket. Hopefully it's temporary because I love a good villain and his outspoken support for test cricket is sorely needed given this generation of spreadsheet boomer cricket boards. Tbh he might benefit from shelving the cover drive for a bit and grinding his way to a few tons. It goes against his entire personality and the media and fans would throw an almighty sook over it, but it would probably give India some sorely needed middle order runs.

Root's stock has catapulted now he's gotten over the conversion dramas and is the closest to Smith. KW forgot how to score overseas test centuries sometime in 2019, potentially due to wankers elbow, and forgot how to score centuries period after the 2020/21 home season.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Smith has tailed off a bit in that he's having to fight noticeably harder to score runs, but that could also be down to the general increase in bowling quality through his career and teams developing strategies for him.

Having watched most of it, I don't think that's the case at all. He's just not playing as fluently

 

[Flem274*]

Having watched most of it, I don't think that's the case at all. He's just not playing as fluently

I watched it too. I think it's both.

It's harder to play fluently when you're not served up some of the absolute trash sent down in Australia during the middle of last decade (looking at you NZ, India, Pakistan, SL and WI). Now Smith obviously showed up when it was hardest as well which makes him an ATG but the bowlers who have toured Australia lately have made life harder for him than it was.

 

[Burgey]

It's the leg gully. That's basically what's changed his scoring rate.

 

[honestbharani]

All of the fab 4 also have a bit of an ingrained thing of shelving risk in their batting. It's amazing but sometimes it's what is annoying about them in T20s and even ODs.

The more i think of it, the more all of them have in common with Sachin than Lara. Virat is obviously the one that seems most likely to get out of the 4 though, and he is also easily the best LO batsman of the 4. So maybe that is what it is.

 

[Spark]

Re: Smith it's partially the leg gully but also that he's adjusted to aging and potentially slowing reflexes and what not by becoming extremely, extremely risk-averse outside off-stump, he still has all the offside shots but rarely ever plays them now. So he's still, statistically, just as nigh-on-impossible to get out when set as he ever was, but he's become supremely boring to watch as a result.

The Sachin comparison is a good one tbh, in that sense; like him in the early 2010s he's adapted to his technical ability perhaps not quite being what it used to be by cutting out risk. Good for the team, not so good for my attention span.

 

[honestbharani]

Re: Smith it's partially the leg gully but also that he's adjusted to aging and potentially slowing reflexes and what not by becoming extremely, extremely risk-averse outside off-stump, he still has all the offside shots but rarely ever plays them now. So he's still, statistically, just as nigh-on-impossible to get out when set as he ever was, but he's become supremely boring to watch as a result.

The Sachin comparison is a good one tbh, in that sense; like him in the early 2010s he's adapted to his technical ability perhaps not quite being what it used to be by cutting out risk. Good for the team, not so good for my attention span.

You also kinda need some other great batsmen around you to be a match-winner in that phase of your career.

 

[Burgey]

Re: Smith it's partially the leg gully but also that he's adjusted to aging and potentially slowing reflexes and what not by becoming extremely, extremely risk-averse outside off-stump, he still has all the offside shots but rarely ever plays them now. So he's still, statistically, just as nigh-on-impossible to get out when set as he ever was, but he's become supremely boring to watch as a result.

The Sachin comparison is a good one tbh, in that sense; like him in the early 2010s he's adapted to his technical ability perhaps not quite being what it used to be by cutting out risk. Good for the team, not so good for my attention span.

He also really hasn't been as prolific since he's been KO'ed a few times.

He's basically Joe Frazier with a cricket bat.