Kohli vs Smith vs Root vs Williamson: Ricky Ponting Weighs In On Who Is Best In ‘Fab 4’

Ricky Ponting recently joined the debate over who is the best among Kohli, Smith, Root and Williamson after Steve Smith joined the elite 10,000-Test runs club.

Steve Smith recently entered the prestigious list of players with 10,000 Test runs.

Source : PTI

Steve Smith entered the prestigious list of players with 10,000 Test runs, a feat only achieved by 14 other cricketers in world cricket before the Australian legend. Smith achieved the monumental feat during Day 1 of the ongoing Australia vs Sri Lanka Test at Galle on January 29 (Wednesday). Later on, the stand-in Australia captain also went on to register his 35th Test century. 

Being part of the 'Fab Four' — a moniker given to the four contemporary greats Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Kane Williamson — often sparks debates among fans and cricket experts about who stands out as the greatest.

Hard To Argue Against Smith's Numbers: Ricky Ponting

The former Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, recently chimed in on the Kohli vs Smith vs Root vs Williamson debate. He believes it’s difficult to dispute Steve Smith's claim as the finest player of his generation, based purely on his numbers. 

"Is he the best player of his generation? It's hard to argue against it. Joe Root is the other one now, and [Kane] Williamson's record is outstanding as well. Joe's last couple of years have elevated him right back up there, I think," Ponting said as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Ponting mentioned that while a few years ago, Root was considered at the bottom of the "Big Four" alongside Kohli, as he hadn't scored as many centuries as the others, he has since risen to the top  after making 19 centuries in the past four years.

"Five or six years ago, when this big four emerged, with [Virat] Kohli being one of those as well, Joe was probably down near the bottom part of that because he hadn't made the hundreds the other guys had made, but he's made 19 hundreds in the past four years," he added.

Ponting concluded while highlighting that opinions on the best player in the "Fab Four" vary by nationality, with Indian supporters backing Virat Kohli, English fans backing Joe Root, Australians favoring Steve Smith and Kiwis supporting Kane Williamson. However, he emphasized that, based on the numbers, it’s difficult to argue against Smith's achievements.

"If you asked an Englishman, they'd say Joe Root, if you asked an Aussie, they'd say Steve Smith, and if you asked a Kiwi, they'd say Kane Williamson. So, it's a tough one, but on the numbers themselves, it's pretty hard to argue against what he's done," he added.