10 batsmen who are ahead of Virat Kohli in the ICC All-Time Test rankings list

Virat Kohli has been in spectacular form in Test cricket over the past couple of years, but coming into 2017 there were questions about his performances away from home. Kohli is the consummate professional, and in 2017 he has shown that he is capable of scoring big runs anywhere in the world. Kohli was the only Indian batsmen to get going in South Africa. He scored 286 runs at an average of 47 as India succumbed to a 2-1 series loss. In the process, Kohli became only the second Indian batsmen to breach the 900 point mark after Sunil Gavaskar, but there was still work to be done.

Kohli struggled to lay bat to ball in the 2014 tour to England, It was the only black mark in Kohli's otherwise flawless Test record. In 2018, he came into England with a monkey on his back and is hell-bent on changing that. Kohli scored 149 and 51 at Edgbaston as India suffered a heartbreaking defeat. It propelled Kohli to the top of the ICC rankings for the first time in his career. After the harrowing defeat at Lord's, the onus was again on Kohli to step up, and he did so in style. Kohli scored 103 and 97 at Trent Bridge as India registered a memorable win. It brought back the No.1 ranking for Kohli, and he now sits at the cusp of history.

Since the beginning of 2016, Kohli has scored 3000 Test runs at an average of 71, including 12 hundreds (6 of which are double hundreds). Kohli is now the No.1 batsman in Test cricket with 937 rating points to his name, which places him at the 11 spot in the ICC All-Time rankings list. As India gears up to face England, all the focus will be on Kohli and if he can lead his team to something extraordinary. A smaller focus would also be on if Kohli can break into the Top 10 of this list. There is still time to find out where Kohli ends up at, but before that it is important to acknowledge the existing status quo.

Without further adieu, take a look at the Top 10 batsmen in Test history with the highest rating points

(10) Clyde Walcott (West Indies): 938

Clyde Walcott is the only batsman to score Twin Hundreds twice in a series.

Clyde Walcott was one of West Indies' earliest superstars, Alongside Weekes, Worrell, Hunte and Sobers, he formed the backbone of the side in the 1950s. Walcott had a pretty sedate start to his test career. After his first 17 matches, Walcott had scored 985 runs at an average of 38. It is worth noting that these 17 tests took place over a period of 4 years. Starting from his 18 test match, Walcott scored 2097 runs in the next 16 tests at an average of 80. It included 11 hundreds and 4 half-centuries. On two occasions, Walcott scored hundred in both innings of a match.

The record breaking run saw Walcott climb the ladder in the pantheon of great batsmen, and cement his place as the country's finest. Walcott's highest rating of 938 came after he scored 155 and 110 against Australia at Sabina Park in 1955. West Indies lost the test match by an innings, but Walcott stood tall. Walcott gained 25 points after that match, benefitting from his team's terrible performance and his brilliance against the likes of Miller, Lindwall and Benaud.

Walcott did not play a Test match for the next two years, and was not able to repeat his feats ever again. He retired in 1960 with 3798 runs to his name. Walcott's tally of 938 was good enough to earn him the 4th spot behind Bradman, Hutton and Hobbs. In the sixty years since, only 3 men have bettered his numbers.

(9) Gary Sobers (West Indies): 938

Gary Sobers went from 500 to 900 rating points in the span of one year.

One of the greatest cricketers of all time, Gary Sobers slots in at the 9th spot in the ICC All-Time rankings list. Sobers is the most versatile cricketer to have played the game, and is the holder of some of the game's biggest records. A left handed batsman, Sobers bowled both left-arm orthodox and leg-spin equally well. He was also a decent medium pace bowler, and is one of the greatest close-in fielders of all time. Sobers holds the record for the highest score by a batsman in his first hundred. He scored 365* against Pakistan in 1958 which was at the time the highest individual score by a batsman in Test cricket.

Sobers was called the best batsman by Bradman, and was persuaded to not retire by the Don. He set the stage for the West Indies' domination of world cricket from the 1970s onward. He captained them in 39 tests, and while the team did not get much success, Sobers was exceptional at the job. Sobers first crossed the 900 points barrier in 1958, he scored 1299 runs at an average of 145 in that calendar year. Sobers would continue on his merry ways in the upcoming years, but in 1966 Sobers had a second wind.

Between June 1966 and January 1967, Sobers played 8 tests and scored 1064 runs at an average of 106. It propelled Sobers to the top of the rankings chart. Sobers bettered his 1958 peak after scoring a 174 against England at Headingley in 1976. He had 936 points to his name. After his 95 and 74* against India in Chennai (1967), Sobers had 938 points, tying Clyde Walcott. Sobers did not play another test match in 1967, and while he was prolific in the next few years, he never reached the same heights ever again. Sobers retired in 1974 as the leading run-scorer in Test history with 8032 runs to his name.

(8) Vivian Richards (West Indies): 938

Vivian Richards scored 829 runs in his first series against England.

No batsmen in Test history had a greater presence on the crease than Sir Vivian Richards. Those who saw Richards play still argue that he is the greatest of all time, and for good reason. Richards had the capability to destroy any bowling attack on any given day, irrespective of the conditions. There are batsmen with better records than Viv, but hardly anyone who matches the impact that the great man had on the game. It is not that Richards is too bad with numbers. In a career spanning almost two decades, Richards played 121 tests and scored 8540 runs at an average of 50.24. It included 24 hundreds and 45 half-centuries, his highest being the famous 291 at The Oval in 1976.

Richards lead the West Indies in 50 tests. winning 27 and losing only 8. His own form was not up to scratch in them, scoring a meager 3068 runs at an average of 45, but he lead the team with great aplomb and got some fantastic results. Richards performed well against every opposition, but it was against England that he saved his best. Richards played 36 tests against England, he scored 2867 runs in those tests at an average of 63. There was always a point to prove when West Indies played England, and Viv was at the forefront of it. It is thereby fitting that Viv attained his career best rating playing against England.

Viv attained his career best rating of 938 after his century against England at Antigua in 1981. It was Viv's third century in the past 4 tests, and his 13th overall. Viv was averaging 63 after 43 test matches, but he tapered off after that. The burden of captaincy, and the controversy of the World Series meant that Viv never returned to that level ever again. Viv retired as the leading run scorer in West Indies' history, and till date holds the record for the highest rating achieved by a batsman from the Caribbean islands alongside Sobers and Walcott.

(7) Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka): 938

Kumar Sangakkara ended Ricky Ponting's reign in the ICC rankings.

Kumar Sangakkara is unarguably the greatest batsman Sri Lanka has ever produced, and he is so ahead of everyone else, it is frankly ludicrous. Sangakkara is the only Sri Lankan batsman to have breached the 900 point mark, Jayawardene is a distant second with 883 points. But, it would be foolhardy to write off Kumar as a Sri-Lankan great. Sangakkara has the highest average (57.41) amongst batsmen who have scored more than 9000 test runs. Only 3 men have scored more hundreds than Kumar, and he is second only to Bramdan when it comes to most double-hundreds with 11 of them.

Sangakkara was a keeper batsman in his early days, he did a fairly decent job at it. He scored 2966 runs at an average of 39.55. Without the gloves, Sangakkara scored 9434 runs at an average of 66. It is one of the most fascinating, yet overlooked quirk in Test history. Sangakkara was a fairly consistent cricketer from the beginning but starting from 2006, he took giant strides forward and become one of the leading batsmen in Test cricket.

Between July 2006 and December 2007, Sangakkara scored 1529 runs at an average of 152.9 in 9 tests. It included 7 hundred, 3 of them were double centuries, 6 of them were scores in excess of 150+. It saw Sangakkara leapfrog Ponting in the rankings chart, and become the No.1 batsman in the world for the first time. Sangakkara first crossed the 900 mark after the Hobart test in 2007. He scored 57 and 192 in that match. It propelled Sangakkara to 919 which was only good enough to get him the 3rd spot behind Kallis and Ponting.

The left-hander scored 92 and 152 in his next test against England which took him to 938 points, thus displacing Ricky Ponting from the numero uno spot, Kumar gained 216 points in a space of 9 tests, and his average catapulted from 46 to 57. Sangakkara failed to get going in his next few tests, and while he did hit some great peaks in his career, he was never able to replicate the same feat ever again. It brings him the 7th spot in the all-rankings list, making him the highest ranked Asian batsman of all time.

(6) Peter May (England): 941

Peter May is widely considered as the best post War batsman in England cricket.

ICC rankings can be a difficult beast to understand, and are often mocked by fans for how complicated they are. They throw up some surprising results at times, and there is nothing more astonishing than Peter May holding the record for the sixth highest rating of all time. Make no mistake, Peter May was a fantastic cricketer. May played 66 tests in his career and scored 4537 runs at an average of 46.77. It included 13 hundreds and 22 hundreds, the highest being a majestic 285* against West Indies at Edgbaston. May was one of the leading figures of England's golden generation in the 1950s, one which included the likes of Colin Cowdrey, Ken Barrington, Denis Compton, Brian Statham and Fred Trueman.

May also captained England in 41 tests, winning 20 and losing 10 of them. He scored 3080 runs in those tests at an average of 54, including 10 hundreds and 15 half-centuries. While these numbers are fantastic, it is still difficult to understand how May achieved the gargantuan ratings he did. The rankings also take into consideration the opposition bowlers, and how other batsmen fared in the match and that's why May triumphs. May played against the likes of Tayfield, Benaud, Davidson, Miller, Lindwall and Wes Hall which boosted his rankings. Also, his performance in low scoring matches tips the scale in his balance.

May achieved his career high rating of 941 against Australia after The Oval test match in 1957. May scored 83* and 37* in a low scoring thriller, which improved his tally from 936 to 941 points. May remained a conistent post that, but was never able to reach the same heights again. May not have the same pedigree as some of the others in the list, but a spot in the Top 10 is fitting for man many consider the best post-War batsman in England history.

(5) Jack Hobbs (England): 942

Jack Hobbs was the first batsman to achieve 900 rating points.

One of the greatest batsman of all time, Jack Hobbs comes in at the 5th spot in the All-Time rankings list. Hobbs' career spanned for over two decades, coinciding with the First World War. Hobbs played 61 tests in his career, scoring 5410 runs at an average of 56.95. It included 15 hundreds and 28 half-centuries, only 5 of those hundreds came in England conditions. Hobbs formed one of the most iconic partnerships in Test history alongside Herbert Sutcliffe, and is the oldest man to hit a test century at the ripe age of 46 in 1928. Surprisingly enpugh, Hobbs never captained England in Test match cricket,

Hobbs also holds the record for the most runs and centuries in first class cricket. He scored 61760 runs in his career, including an insane 199 centuries. Half of these centuries came after Hobbs had turned 40, he played his last first class game at the age of 52 in 1934. Hobbs was the first batsman in Test history to breach the 900 point mark, and in the preceding 100 years, only 3 men have gotten past Hobbs' highest tally of 942.

Hobbs achieved his career high rating of 942 in 1912 against Australia at The Oval. He scored 66 and 32 in that match. Hobbs had 931 points before the match, the match being a low scoring affair meant that Hobbs gained 11 points pushing him to 942 points which gave him a lead of 206 points over the second ranked Warren Bardsley. Hobbs lead the chart for the all-time ratings list for over 20 years before being eclipsed by Donald Bradman in 1934.

(4) Ricky Ponting (Australia): 942

Ricky Ponting at his peak was simply untouchable.

Ricky Ponting scored 13379 runs in Test cricket at an average of 51.8. He is the second highest run scorer in test history, and only Kallis and Tendulkar have scored more hundreds than Ponting's 41. Despite the aforementioned, the numbers do not tell the story of how utterly dominant Ricky Ponting was at his absolute best. Ponting's desire to win is unmatched in cricket's history, and it led him to places only a very few batsmen have ever been.

Between March 2002 and November 2006, Ponting played 52 tests and scored 6000 runs at an average of 75. It included 23 hundreds (more than half of his total). During this period Ponting was the numero uno batsman for most of the time. When England arrived Down Under for the Ashes in 2006, there was a lot of hope amongst England supporters but Ponting quashed it early. Ponting 196 and 60* in the first test at Brisbane, and followed it up with 142 and 49 at Adelaide, Ponting's average crossed 60 for the first time at Adelaide, and he remains the only batsman in Test history to average above 60 after playing 100 tests.

Ponting started the 2006 Ashes with 931 points to his name. His exploits at Brisbane took him to 940, and after Adelaide, he had 942 rating points. There was no reason to believe that Ponting would not better it, but sadly it was the beginning of the end for him. At that point, it was the highest rating achieved by any batsmen in the past 50+ years and is still good enough to earn Ricky Ponting the fourth spot in the all-time rankings list.

(3) Leonard Hutton (England): 945

Leonard Hutton holds the record for the highest individual score by an England batsman.

The debate for England's greatest batsmen will always rage on, and while this offers no conclusion, it is worth noting that Sir Leonard Hutton is the highest ranked England batsman of all time. Hutton also holds the record for the highest individual score by an England batsman: a magnificent 364* scored against Australia at The Oval in 1938, which was only his 6th test. Hutton was the mainstay of the England team for almost 2 decades, and was widely considered the most technically correct batsman of his generation.

Hutton played 79 tests in his career, and scored 6971 runs at an average of 56.67. It included 19 hundreds and 33 half-centuries. Hutton scored most of his runs opening the batting, and formed one of the most successful opening partnerships of all time alongside Cyril Washbrook. Hutton was the first professional England captain of the 20th century. He captained England in 23 tests, winning 11 and losing 4 of them. Hutton scored 1825 runs in those tests at an average of 52. The Yorkshireman is one of the few batsmen to have scored 100 first class centuries. He scored 40140 runs in first class cricket at an average of 55 which included 129 centuries.

Hutton's highest rating of 945 was achieved in April 1954 at the age of 38, after Hutton had scored a double hundred against West Indies at Sabina Park. Hutton had displaced Jack Hobbs for the second spot in this list. His career came to a close soon after, thereby nullifying any chances of him chasing Sir Donald Bradman for the pole position.

(2) Steven Smith (Australia): 947

Steven Smith's rise is the greatest cricketing story of the 21st century.

Australia has produced some fantastic batsmen over the years: Bradman, Chappell, Border, Waugh, Ponting, Clarke and many more. Just when it looked like the production line had dried up, they found an unlikely hero in Steven Smith, who may turn out to be their greatest ever. Smith made his test debut against Pakistan in 2010 as a leg-spinner who could bat a bit. It was the time when Australia gave a debut to everyone in Gold Coast who could turn their arm over, except this worked out, just in a very different way.

Smith was dropped soon after his debut, but his return to the test side in 2013. He was still mocked for his idiosyncrasies, but there was a marked improvement in his batting. By the time the 2015 Ashes rolled around, Smith was the world's best batsman. He crossed the 900 barrier in that series, and never looked back since. The 2017 Ashes series saw Smith go to unforeseen places. Smith scored a series defining double hundred at Perth, and joined Len Hutton for the joint 2nd spot in the ICC All-Time rankings list, He scored 76 and 102* in the next test, and got the 2nd spot all for himself, with 947 rating points. It was the highest rating achieved by any batsman in the past 70 years.

Starting from the Adelaide test match in 2014 till the 2017 Ashes, Smith had scored 4522 runs in 39 tests at an average of 80 which included 19 centuries and 15 half-centuries. It was an extraodrinary run, and now Smith was expected to challenge Bradman for the top spot in the list, but the Ball-tempering incident in South Africa meant that Smith has fallen off his perch. He will be off the rankings list by the time he returns to Test cricket, and it looks very unlikely that he will get to those heights ever again. But if the past decade has taught us anything, it is that you never write off Steven Smith.

(1) Donald Bradman (Australia): 961

The only batsman to have crossed the 950 mark: Can Bradman be eclipsed?

Sir Donald Bradman is the greatest batsman to have ever played the sport. No other sportsmen has been so far ahead of the field like Bradman was, and continues to be. He played 52 tests in his career and scored 6996 runs at a mind-boggling average of 99.94. The next best is a bloke averaging 61, which is fantastic in itself, but nowhere close to where Bradman was. Bradman scored 29 hundreds in his career, including 12 double hundreds and 2 triple-hundreds. No one has bettered those numbers since. It should therefore not come as a surprise that Bradman leads the rankings list as well, not by that much though.

Bradman is the only batsman in Test history to have crossed the 950 ratings mark. He first did so in the year 1934. Bradman had 950 rating points after his triple century against England at Headingley. Don scored a double century in the next test at The Oval, and now stood at 960 rating points. It was a record that stood for 14 years, before being eclipsed by the Don himself. Bradman played against India for the first time in 1948, and took them to the cleaners. After scoring 201 against India at Adelaide in 1948 (his third consecutive hundred), Bradman had 960 rating points to his name. He scored 57* in the next test, which propelled him to 961 rating points. It remains till date, the highest rating any batsmen has ever achieved.

Bradman finished his career with 954 rating points, more than anyone else has ever achieved. Over the course of his career, Don created many amazing records, most of which seem unbreakable. The only record in sight of modern day batsmen is his highest ratings one. Steven Smith made a fantastic push earlier in the year, and now Virat Kohli is going at it with full gutso. Will Kohli, Smith or anyone else gets there remains to be seen.