The announcement was expected. Australias captain Steven Smith was declared the Man of the Series in the four-Test contest that ended on Saturday. But was that the right choice? Wasnt Virat Kohli, Indias latest Test captain, equally or more deserving? Statistics marginally favour Smith. The temporary captain, his own words at the post match presentation, piled up 769 runs with four tons at an average of 128.16. It wasnt just Bradmanseque but something more as he broke Dons record for the highest runs in a series against India. To add to Smiths achievements, he also fielded fabulously. One is aware that he dropped two chances in Sydney but his catch of Rohit Sharma in the same game was sensational. Real Madrid goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, would have been proud of that effort. As a captain too, Smith has the better result to show -1 win, two draws though he seemed to have missed a trick or two in the last two games. Kohli smashed 692, also with four centuries, at an average of 86.50. His ground-fielding too was outstanding. The Delhi cricketer often flung himself to stop drives, generally successfully. The run out of Shaun Marsh on 99 in Melbourne was an outstanding example in accurate throwing and athleticism. As a captain, Kohli fares worse of the two: 1 loss, 1 draw. But statistics cannot fully bring out the qualitative difference between the two performances. To begin with, Kohli scored those runs away from home. In other words, the conditions were much more familiar to the Aussie. Smith also batted against far more benign bowlers. Not just Smith, most Australian batsmen scored freely against the wayward Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Varun Aaron, who bowled boundary balls with alarming frequency. Kohlis runs came off quality pacemen such as Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Josh Hazlewood. He had to earn his runs much harder. If he had been facing his own bowlers, he would have probably scored much more. With Dhawan and Pujara failing regularly, Kohli often came out to bat to avoid a crisis or a collapse. Three of Kohlis knocks (141, 54 and 46) came on the games fifth day on worn-out tracks. His aggressive 141 in Adelaide was arguably the best innings of the series. Not just because he dominated the proceedings on a turning track. He created a match-winning situation when none seemed to exist. It can be argued that Australia delayed its declaration in the third Test because of that innings. As a consequence, India had to face lesser overs which helped the side eke out a draw. His runs were fare more valuable in the context of the series. The Aussies were hard on Kohli in the field and the crowd hostile outside; the latter he also mentioned during the post-match presentation interview. Yet nothing seemed to hold him back. In this backdrop, the award should have gone to Kohli, or even shared between the two cricketers. It has happened in the past. Unfortunately, the judges went by statistics, and ignored perspective.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 10:27:57 +0000
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