Kevin Pietersen: Former England batter Kevin Pietersen made a massive claim while picking the better batter between Steve Smith and Virat Kohli. In a conversation with former Zimbabwe cricketer Pommie Mbwanga on his Instagram page, Pietersen was asked to pick between the two modern-day greats.
The former England batter went with Virat Kohli, saying Smith does not even come close.
“Kohli, Hands down. Freak show. His record chasing, winning games for India, with the amount of pressure that he consistently lives under, Smith doesn’t even come close,” Pietersen said.
Watch the conversation in a video posted by a user on X (formerly Twitter) here:
Question; Smith or Kohli ?
— OM. (@Badpatch18) June 25, 2025
Kevin Pietersen – Smith doesn't even come close to Kohli.🔥
Question; Sachin or Kohli
Kevin Pietersen – Again Virat because of his amazing chasing numbers.🐐 pic.twitter.com/d2UuF9hhmh
Virat Kohli has delivered phenomenal performances while chasing scores, and has also been given the tag of chase master. In ODIs, he has 8063 runs from 166 matches at an average of 64.50 and a strike-rate of 93.42 with 28 hundreds and 41 fifties while chasing. Moreover, in successful chases in ODIs, Kohli averages 89.50.
Furthermore, Kohli has 2013 runs from 53 matches at an average of 67.10 with a strike-rate of 136.47 with 20 half-centuries while chasing in T20Is.
Pietersen picks Virat Kohli over Sachin Tendulkar
“Again Virat, because of his chasing numbers. His chasing numbers are frightening. He averages 80 in chases. His one-day hundreds come chasing. He consistently wins game of cricket for India. He just keeps on churning on the numbers. Chasing chasing chasing. That’s what drives me. My ‘Man of the Match’ performances. It was not the way I played or how I played. It was how many ‘Man of the Match’ performances, how many games did you win for England,” Pietersen said, explaining the reasoning behind his pick.
Kohli recently announced his retirement from Test cricket. Post India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, he had also announced his retirement from T20Is. Kohli will now be seen playing only ODI cricket for India.
He played a key role in their 2025 Champions Trophy victory as well, scoring 218 runs from five matches at an average of 54.50 with a hundred and a half-century.
