Australian legend Ricky Ponting has crowned Virat Kohli the best current player in the world, but offered his judgement with one major caveat – banned Australian Steve Smith still trumps the Indian skipper. Ponting believes Smith’s golden Ashes summer, which yielded 687 runs and three tons at the jaw-dropping average of 137.40, separated him from the pack, meaning Kohli is only the best by default.
Asked at Channel Seven’s cricket season launch who is the number one batter in the world, Ponting said: “Right now, he (Kohli) is because Steve Smith is not there.
“(But) if Steve Smith was playing now, I’d have him as the number one player in the world.
“That’s how high in regard I hold Steve Smith – what he’s done the last three or four years with his game and (he’s been) able to lead an Australian team to so many wins the way he has (batted).
“The Ashes summer last year was just some of the best and purest batting as you’re ever going to see. To do it on the big stage in an Ashes series, and to do it on the first day of an Ashes series when it counts the most, says a lot about him.”
In two less Tests than Kohli, Smith has made 23 Test tons and averages 61.37, while the Indian skipper has 21 hundreds and a batting average of 53.40.
