Top 5 batsman today

[chesterton]

Who do you believe is the best 5 batsman today in the test match avenue?

I have done careful analysis and have the answer in order.

1. Virat Kohli
2. Cheteshwar Pujara
3. Ajinkya Rahane
4. Steve Smith
5. Dimuth Karunaratne

[sloandog]

Who do you believe is the best 5 batsman today in the test match avenue?

I have done careful analysis and have the answer in order.

1. Virat Kohli
2. Cheteshwar Pujara
3. Ajinkya Rahane
4. Steve Smith
5. Dimuth Karunaratne

It's a good top 5, but Williamson should be included there somewhere.

Steve Smith is categorically the best test batter on the planet right now. He's already scored 26 centuries in 68 games to Kholi's 25 centuries in 80 games. 774 runs in 4 test matches is enough proof in itself..

[jaybro]

Smith
Kohli
Williamson

That much is not debatable as for the spots 4 & 5

Pujara
Root

Would be my picks, although Root's inability to covert 50's to 100's has him slipping down the pecking order. I also think in the next couple of years we will see Babar Azam start to dominate Test cricket like he has the limited overs formats.

[Kriterion_BD]

Smith, daylight, Kohli, Williamson is the clear rank as of current.

Root is not even in the top 10 anymore I wouldn't think. He can still get back into the Big 4, but he will have to have some stellar seasons for the next 2-3 years.

[chesterton]

Where do you have the highest zimbabwean?

I have him at around 10/11

[jaybro]

Smith, daylight, Kohli, Williamson is the clear rank as of current.

Root is not even in the top 10 anymore I wouldn't think. He can still get back into the Big 4, but he will have to have some stellar seasons for the next 2-3 years.

I think Kohli and even Williamson have claims to being ahead of ‘daylight’ to be fair.

Root not in the top 10??? Please I find this hard to believe there are 10 better Test batsman in the world right now. Please name them?

[Kriterion_BD]

I think Kohli and even Williamson have claims to being ahead of ‘daylight’ to be fair.

They are. I think there is daylight between Kohli/Williamson and whoever is the 4th best Test batsmen in the world. But Smith has just proven how superhuman he is. HIs career average is 65. Kohli/Williams are more than 10 runs behind. Thats equivalent to the gap between Kohli's average and Azhar Ali's, for a sense of scale. And at that, level 2-3 runs difference in average is collossal in terms of standard deviations away from the mean.

Root not in the top 10??? Please I find this hard to believe there are 10 better Test batsman in the world right now. Please name them?

Root hasn't even been the best Test batsman on his team for a good while now. His average has dropped from 53-54 to now 48 or something. Thats a lot of runs given how many Tests England plays. You have to average 40 for a LONG time to bring your average from 54 down to 48.

Root might still be in the top 10. But when even no name guys like Mayank Agarwal is scoring double centuries against Rabada and Philander, Root's glaring lack of centuries and poor conversion rate cause him to drop like a brick in the ocean. With Smith, KW, VK...only 7 spots available in the top 10. You'd figure guys like Ross Taylor, Dean Elgar, Pujara, are shoe-ins leaving just 4 more spots open. Rahane probably takes one more spot. The remaining 3 spots would get tight when you factor guys like Latham, Faf, Head, Jason Holder (all of whom average more than Root the past 20 months). They haven't gotten many chances for many reasons, but Prithvi Shawn and/or Rishab Pant could have taken a couple spots too. Again based on recent form.

I'm not trying to sugges that Holder is a better batsman than Root...but I am pointing out that Root's form has dipped so far down in the past 1-2 years that Holder averages significantly more than him in that time period.

[chesterton]

Surprised people so confident Smith in the top three.

Good player, but great?

[jaybro]

Root hasn't even been the best Test batsman on his team for a good while now. His average has dropped from 53-54 to now 48 or something. Thats a lot of runs given how many Tests England plays. You have to average 40 for a LONG time to bring your average from 54 down to 48.

Root might still be in the top 10. But when even no name guys like Mayank Agarwal is scoring double centuries against Rabada and Philander, Root's glaring lack of centuries and poor conversion rate cause him to drop like a brick in the ocean. With Smith, KW, VK...only 7 spots available in the top 10. You'd figure guys like Ross Taylor, Dean Elgar, Pujara, are shoe-ins leaving just 4 more spots open. Rahane probably takes one more spot. The remaining 3 spots would get tight when you factor guys like Latham, Faf, Head, Jason Holder (all of whom average more than Root the past 20 months). They haven't gotten many chances for many reasons, but Prithvi Shawn and/or Rishab Pant could have taken a couple spots too. Again based on recent form.

I'm not trying to sugges that Holder is a better batsman than Root...but I am pointing out that Root's form has dipped so far down in the past 1-2 years that Holder averages significantly more than him in that time period.

Which English batsman is a better Test Batsman than Root?? Do they even have another who averages above 40??

Some of those names you've thrown in there are laughable, granted you're just trying to make a point but you haven't convinced me. Rahane has been in a very bad rut until the Windies tour, Shaw has played two Tests , Head & Pant have just been dropped from their respective sides and Holder is clearly not a better Test Batsman than Root.

Root has definitely fallen down the tree, but I'm still not ready to say Latham, Faf or Elgar are better Test Bats than him.

I don't know why I'm defending him, I don't even like him

[sloandog]

Surprised people so confident Smith in the top three.

Good player, but great?

'Great' is not doing justice to his ability. 'freakish' springs to mind.
Argawal from India is a good player, Pujara is a good player, Smith is a freak