Once Virat Kohli, Steve Smith Bounce Back Then They Will Overtake Joe Root - Ricky Ponting

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes Virat Kohli and Steve Smith will come back to form and give competition to currently no.1 ranked Test batter Joe Root in red-ball cricket.

Over the years, the enthusiastic fans have created a group of ‘Fab Four’ consisting of Kohli (India), Steve Smith (Australia), Kane Williamson (New Zealand) and Joe Root (England).

Root is currently having the purple patch of his Test career among his contemporaries, He became the first player in the ‘Fab Four’ club to amass 10,000 runs in the format and surpassed Smith and Kohli’s tally of 27 Test hundreds with his match-winning knock (142*) against India in the second innings in the recently concluded Test series.

Steve Smith, Virat Kohli silent with the bat

Smith ended his century drought with a gritty 145 not out in the second Test against Sri Lanka earlier this month. However, things aren’t the same for Kohli who is yet to rediscover his form. 

Williamson didn’t play enough Test cricket since the first Test against India in Kanpur in November last year and returned to lead the Black Caps in the three Tests against England. The New Zealand captain managed 96 runs in four innings at 24 while playing the format after six months.

Class is permanent: Ricky Ponting

Ponting, who has amassed 13378 runs in 168 Tests, said once the likes of Kohli and Smith find their mojo back then they will beat Root at the top of ICC rankings. 

“Marnus was on record recently saying that it (the century against Sri Lanka) might just be the opening of the floodgates again for Steve Smith. I think it’s been 16-17 innings for him without a Test hundred – that doesn’t happen too often,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.

“Joe Root has been exactly the opposite. Every time he has gone out to bat in the last 18 months or two years, he’s made a hundred, particularly against India. His record against India has been absolutely outstanding. 

“One thing I know is his class is permanent. Whether it’s Smith or Labuschagne or even Virat, when he bounces back to his career-best form, any one of those guys – and Babar Azam is another one – they can overtake Root in the next few months,” Ponting said.

Also Read: Don’t Think There’s A Lot To Gain, He Might Score A Cheap Hundred In Zimbabwe But That Doesn’t Change Too Much – Scott Styris On Virat Kohli