Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith did not find a place in Ponting’s list.

Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting has released his list of all-time top five batsmen in Test cricket, but has not included Virat Kohli in his list. Kohli did not appear in his list despite breaking several records and scoring 9230 runs in 210 innings in his Test career.

“Brian Lara was the most skilful batsman I played against and when I was captain. Sachin was as technically good as anyone I have seen along with Rahul Dravid; I would put Root up there now, and Kane Williamson as well,” Ponting was quoted as saying by The Times.

Reasons for picking Ben Stokes

Ponting also explained why he picked Ben Stokes even though the English all-rounder’s stats are not that special. He said, “Stokes is a difficult player. Statistics don’t define him. He is at his best when the conditions are the toughest. When you talk about great players, you have to talk about the impact they have on matches as well.”

Ponting elaborated on Root’s evolution as a good batsman despite a modest start to his Test career.

“What he has done in the last five years is extraordinary. Look at the statistics: he has 13,500 runs to his name. I rank players on how long they can stay at the top of their ability. You can be a great player for 30 to 40 games, but can you do it for 150 games? Joe was probably not a great player until his first 100 games – he scored 17 centuries in 97 Tests – but now he has become a great player. He has scored 21 centuries in his last 60 games (before the Oval Test),” Ponting said.

Veteran South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis was also missing from Ponting’s list. Currently, he has the highest average (55.37) among the top five run-scorers in the format.