Ricky Ponting snubs Virat Kohli, Steve Smith while picking his all-time top 5 Test batters, two Indians make the cut

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has named his top five batters in Test cricket with some surprising exclusions. But what turned everyone's heads was Virat Kohli's absence in Ponting's pick. Despite Kohli's impressive Test record of 9,230 runs in 210 innings and numerous broken records, he was left off the list. Ponting also left out Steve Smith, choosing to include Joe Root and Kane Williamson instead. This means Ponting did not select two of the 'Fab Four' from his all-time list of batters.

Ricky Ponting names his all-time top 5 Test batters

"Brian Lara was the most skillful batter I played against and when I was captain, he gave me more sleepless nights than anybody. Sachin was technically as good as anyone I’ve seen, along with Rahul Dravid; I’d put Joe in there now as well, and Kane Williamson," stated Ponting, as quoted by The Times.

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Ricky Ponting also justified his selection of Ben Stokes, explaining that despite the English all-rounder's stats not being as flashy as others, his impact and match-winning performances were the deciding factors. He praised Stokes for his ability to consistently change the course of a game with both bat and ball.

"Stokes is a hard one. Numbers don’t define him. It’s been about moments with him, he’s a situation player. When things get the toughest, he’s been at his best. When you’re talking about the greats, you’ve got to talk about impact on games," he added.

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Ponting further elaborated on his choice of Joe Root, noting the English batter's impressive evolution. Ponting highlighted how Root transformed from a solid but unspectacular player in the early stages of his Test career into a truly world-class performer. This significant improvement and consistency at the highest level were key factors in Ponting's decision to include him on the list.

"What he’s done the past five years is extraordinary. Look at the numbers: he’s got 13,500 runs. I rank players on how long they can stay at the top of their powers. You can be a great player for 30 to 40 games but can you do it for 150 games? Joe probably wasn’t a great player for his first 100 games — he had 17 hundreds in 97 Tests — but he’s turned into a great player. He has got 21 hundreds in his past 60 games (before the Oval Test)," Ponting concluded.