Virat Kohli-Steven Smith battle key to who walks with series: Maxwell

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell believes that the battle between Virat Kohli and Steven Smith will be key in determining who wins the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. The five-match Test series will begin on November 22, with Perth hosting the first match.

"I think probably the way that the two superstar batters, Steven Smith and Virat Kohli, are probably head-to-head, seeing how their dominance I suppose, is asserted on the series and how much of an influence that has on who takes home the Border Gavaskar Trophy," Maxwell said on Star Sports. 

"One of those two is going to make a lot of runs, if not both of them, and it is going to be pretty exciting to watch the two of the finest players of our generation go head-to-head."

Both Smith and Kohli have stellar Test records. Smith is just a little over 300 runs away from reaching 10,000 runs, with his runs coming at an average of 56.97, which includes as many as 32 tons in 195 innings. Kohli, on the other hand, is nearing 9,000 runs in the format, having scored at an average of 49.15. 

After the first Test in Perth, the action will shift to Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne before reaching its conclusion in Sydney, where the final Test will be played between January 3-7, 2025.

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