Test Cricket has always been the arena of players who are technically strong and operate according to the orthodox way of batting. The cricketing world has experienced the stroke making of one of the greatest player to play the gentleman's game, Sachin Tendulkar for more than 20 years. Be it Test cricket or ODIs, the master blaster had outclassed all batsmen of his generation with the records and milestones he achieved.
The elegance, smoothness and the graceful manner with which the 46-year-old used to bat have always been soothing to the eyes. His footwork, body posture and head positioning while hitting a straight drive or a cover drive is a perfect lesson for budding cricketers who want to make it big. His batting technique has been a topic of research and discussion during his playing days and even now. Standing 5'5" tall, he is worshipped as the 'God of cricket' in India. Many arguments have been put forward around the world by cricket fans to support the idea that he is the best during the time he was playing.
But in recent times an Australian cricketing prodigy has raised the bar to a certain extent which can make him a better Test batsman than Sachin Tendulkar. The unorthodox right-handed batsman who goes by the name Steve Smith started his cricketing career as a right-arm leg-spinning all-rounder but is now the best Test batsman of his generation.
Smith better than Sachin in Test cricket?
The 30-year-old cricketer in the recently concluded first Ashes Test match against England saved the face of the Australian team when they were 122-8 in the first innings and went onto to score 144 runs which helped Australia to post 284 runs on the board. In the second innings, he again scored a ton and helped Australia win the match.
Smith also became the second-fastest cricketer to score 24 centuries leaving behind Virat Kohli and even Sachin Tendulkar. The 30-year-old has also reached Test rating points of 947 which is the second-highest ever, being behind only Sir Donald Bradman who stands on 961 points. In 66 Test matches, the Australian batsman has scored at an average of 63 which is also the best after Bradman. Sachin, on the other hand, had an average of 53.8.
The Australian cricketer has a very unorthodox way of batting. But he has been very effective for the team due to his calmness and composed nature on the field. His wrist-work while batting is a lesson for budding cricketers who want to become a batsman. The way he moves across the stumps and hits the ball on the on-side, keeping his guard open and the way he angles the shots makes him pretty much vulnerable. But till now he has not failed to prove himself and probably will continue to do so.
It is too soon to give him a spot above Tendulkar but if he continues to play the way he is currently batting then, definitely, he will one day become the greatest Test batsman after Bradman. Tendulkar is definitely a bigger player than him if we judge on the basis of all forms of cricket but in Test cricket, the unorthodox Smith is probably the better among the two in terms of records.
