5 reasons why Steve Smith is the best Test batsman amongst the 'Fab Four'

Australian Cricket Team Ashes Portrait Session

#1 Has runs everywhere across the world.

A genuine yardstick which is used to measure a batsman's quality is his ability to score runs both at home and overseas. How quickly one adapts to alien conditions and an unfavourable atmosphere determines a batsman's calibre.

Out of the Fab Four, Williamson has the poorest record while batting away from home as his averages of 21, 30, and 35 in South Africa, England, and India exemplifies. For all of Root's flair and languid body language, he remains a poor traveller as well, averaging a meagre 17 in New Zealand, and a paltry 38 in Australia.

One highlight of his test career has been his inability to convert his fifties into daddy hundreds which Virat and Smith have done with aplomb. He has 37 half centuries, the most among all, but has managed to touch triple figures just 13 times, with his conversion rate being the poorest.

In terms of pure run making only, Virat has consistently been around Smith's mark, thanks to his ability to grind out tough innings, and his immense fitness which helps him to stay at the crease for long periods of time. However, a minor blemish in an otherwise wonderful record is his average of 13 in England where he was sucked into the corridor trap by the English bowlers. It remains to be seen whether he can correct that record when India tour England later in the year for a four-match test series.

Despite having a strong technique against the spinners, he has struggled in Sri Lanka as well, with his average dropping to 40 in the island nation, again quite low by his standards.

Try comparing these figures with that of Smith's, and you get a clear picture. Averages of 131, 61, 60, and141 in New Zealand, South Africa, India, and West Indies respectively, show his unflinching skill. During the series against India in 2017, he displayed an unparalleled sense of grit, patience, and understanding of conditions to score tough runs and finish the series as the highest run-getter.

His 178 on a treacherous pitch at Ranchi against the world's two best Test bowlers deserves a special mention. England witnessed one such gem of a knock when he plundered a sparkling 215 at Lords against arguably the best bowling attack during that time. His ton at Centurion against South Africa showed the world that he could score with his team's back to the walls with a rearguard effort.

Simply put in a nutshell, Steve Smith is not only competing against his rivals at this point in his career, but he has set his eyes on dismantling the record books and rewrite them. Who knows, he might just score another truckload of runs and we might start discussing his name in the league of Len Hutton, Herbert Stutcliffe, Kenny Barrington, and finally the Don himself.