Flintoff picks his best of the batting bunch

Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Joe Root.

They’re the quartet of young international skippers no-one wants to bowl to, but former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff has singled out Kohli as being “on a different planet” to his counterparts.

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After an uncharacteristically poor start with the bat in India’s Test series against Australia, the India captain has dropped to fourth on the International Cricket Council’s Test batting rankings, putting him beneath Smith (first), Williamson (second) and Root (third).

But Flintoff says his explosiveness in the shorter formats of the game, coupled with his ability to rein in that attacking instinct in Test cricket is what sets Kohli apart from his fellow batting maestros.

“He’s absolutely on his own,” Flintoff told English newspaper Metro. “You look at the four main captains; Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Virat Kohli.

“They’re all very, very good players but Virat is head and shoulders above all of them.

“You watch him play and the one thing that’s so impressive is that in Test cricket he’s got all the shots and tricks but decides to get his head down and grind runs out.

“And then in the short-form of the game he just hits boundaries without looking like taking a risk. He’s in complete control.

“The other three I mentioned are very good players but Kohli is on a different planet.”

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After registering double-centuries in four consecutive series, Kohli’s Test batting average dipped back below 50 after managing just 40 runs in four knocks in the first two Border-Gavasker Trophy matches against Australia.

But Kohli, the oldest of the vaunted foursome, holds unparalleled numbers in one-day and T20 Internationals.

The 28-year-old has 27 ODI centuries – already the fourth-most of all-time – while his T20I batting average (53.40) is 13 runs higher than the next highest (Joe Root at 40.33) in the format’s short history (minimum 20 innings).

English fans may however be sceptical of Kohli’s prowess in the longest format. His impact was severely curtailed in his only Test series in the Old Dart in 2014, with swing king Jimmy Anderson dismissing him four times in five games as the right-hander failed to pass 50 in any of his 10 hits.

But Flintoff believes the notion that Kohli struggles on seaming surfaces will be put to bed the next time India tours England.

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“It frustrates me when everyone says ‘he just does it in India, wait until he gets to England’,” Flintoff said.

“That’s nonsense, he’s a fine player.

“When he comes to England the ball will nip around a bit and he’ll adapt his game accordingly.

“I would’ve loved to have a bowl at him but I honestly don’t know (what his weaknesses are).”