New Delhi [India]: Former Australia pacer Brett Lee has said that he would pick Steve Smith over Virat Kohli because of what the Australian batsman has had to overcome in his career.
Showering praise on Smith, Lee also said that the right-handed batsman could become as good as Don Bradman.
Lee was doing an Instagram live session with former Zimbabwe pacer Pommie Mbangwa and it was then that the former Australia pacer was asked to pick between Smith and Kohli.
Answering the question, Lee replied: "Look, it is so hard to pick, there are so many qualities in both that I enjoy, from the bowling of point I am trying to look are there any flaws in both batsmen, both of these batsmen are genuine".
"Kohli is technically sound, he hits through the V, he used to knick off earlier in his career, but it is hard to do that now, he is a great leader of his side, I think he would love to win the IPL," he added.
Smith was handed a one-year ban from international cricket in 2018 for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa.
However, the batsman went on to make a return in 2019 and he was played as Australia's Player of the Series in Ashes 2019.
"Steve Smith has been through a lot in the last couple of years, he has seen a rise with the way he played in the last 12 months, he is so fidgety, sometimes you are like just relax mate," Lee said.
"At the moment I would choose Smith over Kohli because of what he has been through and what he has to overcome, they are two great players, I think Smith can be as good as Don Bradman, there have been talks of him becoming just like Bradman looking at the numbers" he added.
Currently, Smith is at the top of the ICC Test match rankings for batsmen while Kohli is positioned at the second place.
When it comes to ODIs, Kohli holds the top spot, while Smith does not even feature in the top ten.
Both India and Australia are slated to play a four-match Test series later this year.
India is at the top spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings while Australia is in the second place.
