Virat Kohli was discarded by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting in the best player of this generation discussion. He gave his vote to Steve Smith, who completed 10,000 Test runs and also hit his 35th hundred on Day 1 of the series opener against Sri Lanka in Galle.

He is the 15th player to reach the landmark in Test cricket and fourth from Australia, joining the likes of Ponting.

Smith’s 35th Test century took him past Sunil Gavaskar in terms of three-digit mark in red-ball cricket. He shared a 195-run stand with Usman Khawaja, with Australia posting 330 for two on Day 1.a

Ponting mentioned that it tough to look beyond Steve Smith, who is the best batter in the current generation. He also took Joe Root’s name.

“Steve Smith is the best player of this generation. Joe Root is also performing well and Kane Williamson’s record is magnificent. Root’s performance in the last couple of years has put him right back up there,” Ponting was quoted from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Kohli was leading the race till 2020 but he has lost his Midas touch in the last four years. He had scored 27 Test tons, ten more than Joe Root, six more than Kane Williamson, one more than Steve Smith. In the next four years, Root accumulated 19 tons and his current tally of 36 tons has made him a leader among the Fab Four.

“When these four emerged, Virat Kohli was leading the race, with Joe Root near the bottom part but he has made 19 hundreds in the past four years,” he added.

“England fans would side with Joe Root while the Aussies feels Steve Smith is the best. A Kiwi would give his vote to Kane Williamson. It is not easy to pick but what Steve Smith has done over the years can’t be ignored,” he concluded.