I don't understand, Sakura has shown absolute no tactical proficiency or leadership skills in battle, so she's not really smart in any practical sense. And she isn't even the most book-smart gennin, because at the beginning of the anime, it was mentioned that Sasuke was the number one student in the academy.

Sakura is not good at either making genjutsu or detecting it. I've never seen her making any genjutsu. Also, at the beginning of the series, Naruto used genjutsu to look like Sasuke and she absolutely fell for it. She couldn't detect the genjutsu during the Chunnin exam either. The only time she showed any skill was staying awake when the stadium was attacked by a sleep genjutsu, and later helping to dispel it.

Ino is better than Sakura, she has a special ability. That and during Sakura and Ino's fight during the Chunnin exam, Ino actually used some clever tactics with her hair.

On a side note, how hilarious would it be if Sakura was matched up with Gaara during the Chunnin one on one fights?