Australian batsman Steve Smith says he is unbothered by talk of his rivalry with Indian captain Virat Kohli.
Smith and Kohli are currently ranked one and two respectively in the ICC Test batting rankings, yet the Australian number four says he doesn’t measure himself against the Indian star.
Joining Gerard Whateley on SEN, Smith dead-batted the question when asked.
“Over the years, he has been your closest contemporary in what he’s done and you’ve done in unison, do you measure yourself at all against what he’s able to do?” Whateley asked.
“No”, Smith answered.
“It doesn’t bother me really.
“People can talk about rivalries and all that, other people can do all that.
“I just try and go out there and do the best that I can and perform as well as I can and help the team I’m playing for win.
“Other people can compare and say what they like, I honestly don’t think about it at all.”
While Smith is unfazed by comparisons, he conceded that the Australians would need to keep the Indian captain quiet in the upcoming white-ball series and first Test, before he returns home for the birth of his first child.
“Our job is to try and keep him quiet throughout the One-Day series”, Smith said.
“Obviously, he’s only playing one Test but hopefully we keep him quiet in that game as well.
“That’s our job I think as a team, he’s obviously a quality player and I think he’ll be missed by the Indian team when he leaves.”
While Kohli’s loss will have an effect on the Indian side, Smith knows that his replacement will be more than capable at Test level.
“It’s going to leave a bit of a hole," Smith added.
“Having said that, I think India have so many quality batters waiting in the wings to come in that can do a terrific job as well.”
The first game of the Australia v India One Day series is set for Friday November 27 at the SCG.