Legendary Australia spinner Shane Warne has named his top five current batters in Test cricket. In Warne's list, Australia vice-captain Steve Smith is at the top, followed by England Test skipper Joe Root and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. "I've got Steve Smith. In all conditions and against all bowling attacks for a long period of time, Smith is outstanding. Joe Root is number two; he has made six hundreds in this calendar year. Kane Williamson is always in thereabouts," said Warne in a video uploaded on Instagram by Fox Cricket.
The former leg-spinner also included India's Test captain captain Virat Kohli as his fourth-best batter in the format while Australia's young middle-order batter Marnus Labuschagne made it to the number five spot in Warne's list.
"Virat Kohli has just dropped off a little bit, and then Marnus (Labuschagne) rounds up the top 5 for me," added Warne.
Kohli hasn't scored an international hundred since 2019 and 2021 has been among his best years as a batter and captain.
Earlier this year, the 33-year-old had stepped down as India's T20I captain. He was later removed as ODI skipper, with the BCCI naming Rohit Sharma full-time limited-over captain.
However, Kohli will continue to lead India in Test cricket, where he is the country's most successful skipper with 39 wins.
Kohli is also the all-time third most successful Test captain when it comes to the number of wins. South Africa's Graeme Smith leads that table with 53 wins, followed by Australia's Ricky Ponting with 48 victories.