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Smith as good as AB, Kohli: Watson

High praise for Aussie batsman after he continued his brilliant form in the IPL

Shane Watson believes his in-form Rajasthan Royals teammate Steve Smith is currently "on par" with AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.

Overnight, Smith hit his highest IPL score to lead the Royals to a third straight win, scoring an unbeaten 79 in a match which also saw Mumbai Indians batsman Aaron Finch helped off the ground after pulling up sharply and yelping in pain having taken a hasty run.

Quick single: Finch injury 'looks bad' warns Rohit

The half-century sent him to the top of the IPL runs tally, adding to his knocks of 33 and 10 from the first two matches.

Smith how has 122 runs at an average of 61, leading Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Chris Gayle (117 runs at 58.5) and Kolkata Knight Riders' Gautam Gambhir (115 at 57.5).

Image Id: ~/media/631ABB546BA44343AAE8640134358031Smith celebrates his half-century for Rajasthan // BCCI

Watson was full of praise for his IPL deputy, comparing him to Bangalore rivals Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

“I think he is on par with AB de Villiers at the moment and Virat Kohli when he is at his best," Watson told iplt20.com.

“It is incredible to see him just continue to pile on the runs in every format.

“It looks like it’s not going to end and let’s hope it doesn’t for quite a while.”

Smith scored a century in each of the four Commonwealth Bank Tests against India during the summer, before amassing 402 runs at an average of 67 during the World Cup, including a century and four fifties.

He stepped into the Royals captaincy after Watson picked up a hip injuryduring training and has led the team in their first three matches to date.

Quick single: Regal Smith crowns Rajasthan victory

Watson, who played under Smith’s leadership in Australia’s Test and ODI teams during the summer, said the pair spent a lot of time discussing captaincy.

“Steve has got a great feel for the game and great intuition on the field,” he said.

“We talk a lot about different things, including the tactical side of things.

“He has great skills of the game with the bat and as captain too. There are many things I learn from him as well.”