By Admin 
In the current cricket era, if the name of any one batsman is taken first, then it is Virat Kohli. Not only in India, cricket fans all over the world consider him the greatest player of this generation. Now Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam has also confirmed the greatness of Virat. However, there is an interesting twist in Babar’s opinion. He has placed Virat Kohli at the top in white ball cricket, but when it comes to Test cricket, he has placed him at third place in the ‘Fab-4’.
Virat number-1 in white ball cricket
Babar Azam, in an interview, ranked four legendary batsmen of the post-2010 era – Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson. According to Babar, Virat Kohli is the only player who has made a consistent impact in both ODI and T20 formats. Taking responsibility in big matches, scoring runs under pressure and winning matches – Virat is seen at the forefront in all these matters. This is the reason why Babar considered him the best batsman of white ball cricket.
Changed picture in test cricket
When it came to just Test cricket, Babar’s ranking changed. In the Test, he placed Steve Smith at number-1, Joe Root at second and Virat Kohli at third. Babar believes that Smith has performed tremendously in Test cricket in different countries and in difficult conditions. Whereas Root has kept the England team in control by scoring runs continuously in the last few years.
Why is Virat number three?
According to Babar Azam, Virat Kohli’s Test career has been excellent, but his form has declined in the last few years. During this period, he also said goodbye to Test cricket. Due to which it affected his ICC ranking. On the contrary, in ODI cricket, Virat is still scoring runs at an excellent average and scoring centuries, which shows his class.
Strength of Smith and Root
Even today, Steve Smith is known for playing long innings in front of tough bowling attacks in Test cricket. Whereas Joe Root has proved himself to be the backbone of England’s batting in recent years by scoring runs both at home and away. This is the reason why Babar kept him ahead of Virat in the test.
Why is Babar’s opinion special?
This assessment is also important because Babar Azam himself considers Virat Kohli as his idol. In such a situation, his ranking is being considered balanced and honest. Virat may have moved away from Test cricket, but his dominance in white ball still remains. This is the reason why in Babar’s eyes Virat is still the greatest cricketer of this era.