'He’s one of the most underrated players' - Ricky Ponting names Jacques Kallis as most talented player

Legendary Australian skipper Ricky Ponting recently named iconic South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis as the most talented player he has ever seen. Ponting's reason for choosing Kallis is his all-round abilities. 

Kallis had an exceptional international career, spanning 19 years, which saw him contribute in all formats of the game. In Test cricket, he scored 13,289 runs and took 292 wickets in 166 matches. His ODI record is equally impressive, with 11,579 runs and 273 wickets in 328 games.

Even in T20Is, Kallis made significant contributions, scoring 666 runs and taking 12 wickets in 25 matches. Ponting pointed out that the former all-rounder has been consistent across different aspects of the game.

“I’ll say Jacques Kallis is the most talented player that I’ve ever seen because of his all-round game. I’m not just talking about a talented batsman; I’m talking about a talented cricketer. Jacques Kallis made 44, 45 Test hundreds, probably 300 wickets, maybe more than that, and he’d have an unbelievable catching record as well in Test cricket,” said Ponting on SkySports.

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In my eyes, he is one of the all-time greats: Ricky Ponting

The Aussie also feels that Kallis is one of the most underrated players and feels people don't talk much about his contribution to the game and South African cricket. 

"I think he’s one of the most underrated players ever that’s played the game. I mean, I know he’s rated; obviously, he should be, but not many people talk about him as being one of the all-time greats, and in my eyes, he certainly is," Ponting added. 

Furthermore, the 49-year-old named former West Indies captain Brian Lara as the most naturally talented batsman. Lara was another player who contributed a lot to this game. He featured in 131 Tests and 299 ODIs and smashed 11953 and 10405 runs respectively. “The most naturally talented batsman, I’d say, would be Brian Lara,” Ponting concluded.