Kohli on high pedestal but Root and Williamson not on same level as Smith, says Ricky Ponting

What's the story?

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has lavished praise on Steven Smith's seemingly unstoppable form in Test cricket. Ostensibly hailing Smith as the best batsman in the world, the legendary Tasmanian sounded reluctant to place the likes of Joe Root and Kane Williamson at a similar level to the unorthodox right-hander. However, the 42-year old insisted that Indian captain Virat Kohli was also on a 'pretty high pedestal'.

"You look at the other better players in the world. Virat Kohli is on a pretty high pedestal but then you look at Joe Root and Kane Williamson. As far as I'm concerned, those guys are nowhere near as good as Steven Smith and I've said that for a long time. Imagine him back in the day when there were Timeless Tests, he would've just batted forever", Ponting told cricket.com.au.

The context

En route to his barnstorming double century in the third Ashes Test at the WACA, Smith became the only second batsman in the history of the format to amass over 1000 runs in a calendar year for the fourth successive year. Only Matthew Hayden has achieved the exemplary feat on more instances (five) than the current run-machine.

The heart of the matter

As things stand at the moment (at the end of the third day's play in Perth), Smith's batting average of 62.89 is the second highest in the history of Test cricket among all batsmen with at least 5000 runs. Only the exalted Sir Donald Bradman, with an iconic average of 99.94, lies on top of the 28-year old.

Smith's jaw-dropping form has seen him establish a sizeable lead at the top of the ICC rankings for present-day Test batsmen. To put things into perspective, his peak rating of 941 (achieved at the end of the Ranchi Test against India earlier this year) is joint-fifth in the annals of batting greatness in the premier format of the game.

What's next?

Unbeaten on 229, Smith will look to swell Australia's lead in the penultimate day of the WACA Test and aggravate the woes of England bowlers. With plenty of time left in the match, he could even eye a maiden triple ton.

Author's take

Ponting's assessment is spot on as Smith is currently in a league of his own in Test cricket. The likes of Root and Williamson are clearly not at the same level as him. India's upcoming tour of South Africa will give us a more accurate indicator of Kohli's standing in the modern-day 'Fab Four'.