Ricky Ponting, the former captain of Australia, discussed who would be the “best player of this generation” without bringing up Virat Kohli. Shortly after hitting 10,000 runs in Test cricket, the Australian great sided with Steve Smith. Later, on Day 1 of the first Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle, he scored his 35th century.
For Smith, it was a significant day in Galle. He became the fourth player from Australia to reach the five-figure milestone, joining players like Ponting, and he was tied for second fastest time to do it after hitting a single on the first ball of his knock.Smith passed Sunil Gavaskar in the all-time list with his 35th Test century in the last session of the first day. Australia amassed 330 for two against a careless Sri Lankan team on Day 1 thanks to the knock and a 195-run partnership with Usman Khawaja.Ponting believed it was difficult to overlook Smith as the best batter of the current generation after the significant milestones he achieved. However, he acknowledged that Joe Root of England is right up there in the discussion.Does he represent his generation’s top player? Arguments against it are difficult. Now, Joe Root is the other one, and [Kane] Williamson has an exceptional record as well. The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Ponting as saying, “I think Joe has risen back up there in the last couple of years.”
