Shane Warne names his top-five Test batters at present, Virat Kohli included

One of the finest leg-spinners to have ever graced the game, Shane Warne named his top-five batters in Test cricket at the moment. With T20 cricket gaining popularity in recent years, many fans and experts reckons the quality of Test cricket has gone down. This major belief is batters nowadays don’t emphasise much on having a sound technique. Also, tackling the red cherry is any condition is not easy.

However, there are still some batters, who have embraced this challenge with brilliance. As far as Warne’s top-five are concerned, his fellow countryman Steve Smith tops the list. The fastest batter to complete 7000 Test runs, Smith has been nothing short of a run-machine in the purest format. He has also slammed runs in several conditions.

“I have got Steve Smith (at the top). I think, over all conditions, against all bowlers, he has been brilliant,” Warne said in a video posted by Fox Cricket. England’s Joe Root is second on this list. The right-handed batter has been sensational this year, having scored as many as six Test centuries so far.

Virat Kohli has dropped down in recent times: Shane Warne

While he slammed three consecutive hundreds in the home series against India earlier this year, Root slammed double tons on Sri Lankan and Indian soil. These numbers speak volumes of his abilities. Meanwhile, Root was followed by New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson in Warne’s elite list. Arguably the finest captain going around in international cricket, Williamson’s obsession with big knocks has helped the Kiwis register many emphatic wins.

He also led New Zealand to the inaugural World Test Championship title earlier this year. India’s Virat Kohli is fourth on this list. Warne also admitted that the talismanic batter has ‘dropped down’ in recent times but he’s still good enough to make a cut in the top-five. The former Australian spinner’s top-five was rounded-up by Marnus Labuschangne.

The South African born lad has been nothing short of a revelation for Australian team. Labuschangne can play attacking shots alongside staying at the crease for long. His tally of nearly 2000 runs in 19 Tests also speaks volumes of his capabilities. The youngster is currently fourth in list of top-ranked Test batters.

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