Steve Smith vs Virat Kohli: Who is the better Test batter?

Quick answer: Steve Smith vs Virat Kohli

Who has the better overall Test career?

By the numbers, Steve Smith does. He's scored more runs, at a higher average, with more centuries. Kohli's career ended in 2025 with 9,230 runs from 123 Tests at 46.85. Smith has already crossed that with 10,763 runs from the same number of matches, averaging near 56.

The short verdict

Smith wins on pure output. Kohli wins on cultural weight and captaincy impact. If you're ranking bats alone, Smith edges it. If you're ranking who changed a format's fanbase, Kohli's case is just as strong.

 

Steve Smith vs Virat Kohli: Career overview

Steve Smith's Test career

Smith debuted in 2010 as a leg-spinner who batted at No. 8. By 2015, he was Australia's No. 1 Test batter and captain.

The 2018 Cape Town scandal cost him the captaincy and a year of cricket. He came back in 2019 and scored 774 runs in that year's Ashes, one of the great redemption arcs in the sport. He's still playing and crossed 10,000 Test runs in Galle in January 2025.

Virat Kohli's Test career

Kohli debuted against the West Indies in 2011. He took over the captaincy in 2014 and turned India into a team that could win in England, Australia, and South Africa, not just at home.

He retired from Tests in May 2025, finishing with 9,230 runs and 30 centuries. He remains India's fourth-highest Test run scorer, behind only Tendulkar, Dravid, and Gavaskar.

 

People also Search For  Steve Smith vs Joe Root: who is the better Test batter?

 

Steve Smith vs Virat Kohli Test stats comparison

Matches, runs and batting average

Smith has played 123 Tests for 10,763 runs at an average close to 56. Kohli finished his 123 Tests with 9,230 runs at 46.85. That's a gap of roughly 9 average points, which is enormous over a career this long.

Test centuries and double centuries

Smith has 37 Test hundreds, including 4 double centuries, all against England in Ashes cricket. Kohli finished with 30 centuries and 7 double hundreds, more double tons than Smith despite the lower overall average.

Highest score and milestones

Kohli's top score is an unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019. Smith's best is 239, made at Perth against England in 2017. Kohli also holds the record for most Test double centuries by an Indian batter.

Metric	Steve Smith	Virat Kohli
Matches	123	123
Runs	10,763	9,230
Average	~56.00	46.85
Centuries	37	30
Double centuries	4	7
Highest score	239	254*

 

Batting technique: why they score runs differently

Steve Smith's unorthodox method

Smith's stance looks wrong until the ball arrives. He shuffles across the crease, sets up outside off, and still clips good-length balls through midwicket. Coaches wouldn't teach it this way. It works because his hands and eyes arrive at the right spot every time.

Virat Kohli's classical technique

Kohli plays close to textbook. High elbow, straight bat, footwork that gets him to the pitch of the ball. His cover drive and his ability to leave the short ball outside off made him one of the most complete technicians of his generation.

 

People also Search For  Who are cricket's Fab Four? Explained simply

 

Home vs away record

Steve Smith outside Australia

Smith has scored more than 5,000 Test runs outside Australia at an average above 53. He averages near 58 in England alone, a country most touring batters struggle to crack. Since becoming a specialist batter in 2014, his away average sits above 57.

Virat Kohli outside India

Kohli's away average settled around 44 to 46 across his career. He scored heavily in Australia, averaging in the mid-50s there, but struggled more in England and New Zealand, where his numbers dropped into the high 30s and low 40s at different points in his career.

 

Performance in SENA countries

Steve Smith in England, South Africa and New Zealand

England is Smith's happy hunting ground. He's scored multiple double centuries there and averages near 58. South Africa is the one place his numbers dip, sitting around 41.

Virat Kohli in Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand

Kohli's away numbers improve in Australia, where he built his reputation with twin centuries in Adelaide in 2014. England and New Zealand were tougher, with his average dropping into the mid-30s in both. South Africa was closer to 50, one of his stronger overseas results.

 

Who performed better against top bowling attacks?

Steve Smith vs modern great bowlers

Smith has taken on James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Pat Cummins repeatedly and kept scoring. His numbers against England's pace attacks in Ashes cricket are among the best of any visiting batter this decade.

Virat Kohli vs modern great bowlers

Kohli's twin hundreds against Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in Johannesburg in 2013 remain a career highlight. He also went after Anderson and Broad in the 2018 series in England, scoring 593 runs in a series India lost.

 

Captaincy comparison

Steve Smith as Australia's captain

Smith captained Australia with an average above 68 in that role, a rare number for anyone leading a side. The Cape Town scandal ended his tenure in 2018. He returned as vice-captain in 2021 and briefly led the side again when Pat Cummins was ruled out for a Test.

Virat Kohli as India's Test captain

Kohli led India in 68 Tests, won 40, and lost just 17, making him India's most successful Test captain by wins. He took India to their first World Test Championship final and oversaw series wins in Australia that ended a decade-long wait for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy away from home.

 

People also Search For  Joe Root vs Virat Kohli since 2020: who has really been the better Test batter?

 

Peak performance comparison

Steve Smith's best Test years

2014 and 2015 were the launchpad, with Smith averaging over 70 in both. But 2019, the year he returned from suspension and scored 774 Ashes runs at an average of 147, is the peak nobody saw coming.

Virat Kohli's golden period (2016 to 2019)

Kohli was close to unplayable in this stretch. He scored heavily in Australia, England, and South Africa, carried India's batting almost single-handed at times, and captained the side to some of its biggest overseas wins.

 

Steve Smith vs Virat Kohli: Head-to-head Test comparison

Metric	Steve Smith	Virat Kohli
Matches	123	123
Runs	10,763	9,230
Batting average	~56.00	46.85
Centuries	37	30
Double centuries	4	7
Highest score	239	254*
Away average	~53 to 57	~44 to 46
Tests as captain	~41	68
Test wins as captain	Multiple, avg 68+	40

 

Who is the better Test batter?

Pure batting average favors Smith by a wide margin. A near-10-point gap in a career this long isn't noise, it's a genuine difference in output.

Longevity is close. Both played over a decade at the top, both survived scandal and slumps, and both kept scoring hundreds well into their mid-30s.

Peak dominance is arguably a draw. Smith's 2014-2015 and 2019 peaks are as good as batting gets. Kohli's 2016-2019 run carried an entire team, not just an average.

Overseas success tilts toward Smith. His away numbers are exceptional almost everywhere he's played. Kohli's away record is good but uneven, brilliant in Australia, tougher in England and New Zealand.

Match-winning impact is where Kohli claws it back. His captaincy turned India into serial overseas winners, and his batting often set up those wins personally.

The balanced verdict: Smith is the better pure Test batter by the numbers. Kohli is the bigger overall force in Test cricket once you count what he did with the bat and as captain. Pick the batter, and it's Smith. Pick the cricketer who changed how his team traveled and won, and it's Kohli.

 

Frequently asked questions

Who has more Test runs, Steve Smith or Virat Kohli?

 Steve Smith, with 10,763 runs against Kohli's 9,230, from the same number of matches.

Who has the higher Test batting average?

Smith, at close to 56, well above Kohli's career average of 46.85.

Who has more Test centuries?

Smith has 37 Test centuries to Kohli's 30. Kohli holds the edge in double centuries, 7 to Smith's 4.

Who performed better overseas?

Smith. His away average sits above 53, among the best of any touring batter in the last decade. Kohli's away average settled around 44 to 46.

Is Steve Smith better than Virat Kohli in Test cricket?

On pure batting numbers, yes. Kohli remains the bigger figure once you weigh in his captaincy record and what he did for India's overseas Test culture.