Ahmedabad, April 15: Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has rated his team-mate Steve Smith alongside AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli as the best batsmen in the world at the moment.
IPL 2015 Special
Smith has been in outstanding batting form since last November. And it continued last night too when he hit an unbeaten 79 to guide Rajasthan Royals (RR) to a 7-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians at Sardar Patel Stadium in the Indian Premier League 2015 edition.
Watson, who plays with Smith at Rajasthan, praised the right-handed batsman. "I think he is on par with AB de Villiers at the moment and Virat Kohli when he is at his best. 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," Watson told IPLT20.com when asked where Smith stands among the best batsmen in the world now.
Watson, who is RR's regular captain, has missed the opening three games of IPL 8 and in his absence Smith is leading. So far he has done an exceptional job, taking the side to a hat-trick of wins.
Watson also praised Smith's captaincy. "We do (discuss captaincy). Steve has got a great feel for the game and great intuition on the field. 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," he said.
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