Overview

• Ponting’s list features Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Joe Root and Kane Williamson as the elite Test batsmen.
• Virat Kohli and Steve Smith were conspicuously left off the list despite their prolific scoring records.
• He hailed Brian Lara as the most skilful opponent he faced, crediting Lara with causing “more sleepless nights than anybody.”
• Joe Root earned a place for his sustained excellence, compiling over 13,500 runs and 21 centuries in his past 60 Test matches.
• Ponting stressed the importance of match-defining contributions over statistics, highlighting Ben Stokes as the ultimate “situation player.”