Ricky Ponting reveals he didn't think much of Kane Williamson in his initial days

When you talk about the best batsmen around the world of the current era, you invariably get sucked into the debate around what is famously called the Fab-4. The Fab-4 consists of four batting geniuses of the modern-day who tick all the boxes when it comes to becoming a once-in-a-generation player.

Out of that top-4- Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root- the most underrated batsman has got to be the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. Williamson is the perfect example of when talent meets temperament. The Kiwi captain has been the bedrock of his team for a decade, during which he has scored truckloads of runs all around the world.

Williamson may be a superstar today but back in 2010 when he first burst onto the scene, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting didn’t think much of the right-hander. In-fact, Ponting, in a chat with cricket.com.au admitted that he was taken aback when McCullum gushed about Williamson and prophesied that he’ll be one of the leading batsmen in the world.

“Brendon McCullum said to me then ‘this kid is going to be one of the best players in the world. And I thought ‘really?’. He was pretty loose outside off stump and was going pretty hard at the ball.” Ponting said to cricket.com.au.

Ricky Ponting compares Kane Williamson’s technique to Steven Smith’s

Williamson had toured Australia as a 21-year-old in Ponting’s penultimate international summer in 2011. Since then, the Kiwi captain has transformed into one of the leading batsmen in the world, scoring 20 centuries and almost 6000 Test runs at an average of 55.56. Ponting paid tribute to Williamson’s hard work that transformed him into a world-beater and even compared his batting with Steven Smith as he plays the ball late and doesn’t commit much on the front foot.

“But when you see him now and what he’s developed into, he plays the ball later than anybody, he makes big runs, he makes runs consistently and he’s been talked about as a being one of the best players in the world for the last four or five years.”

“He’s a bit like Smithy (in Test cricket); he’s very regimented in the way he plays, he plays the ball late, he doesn’t get a big stride at the ball. But he’s just really hard to get out so I’m looking forward to the battle between him and our quicks,” Ponting added.

Williamson and Smith will soon lock horns in a battle for batting supremacy when New Zealand takes on Australia in a three-match Test series Down Under.