Steve Smith and Virat Kohli lead the pack in the latest ICC rankings for test batsmen

Heading into the Ashes, Joe Root realized that he had a terrific opportunity to make a huge statement in Australia.

Part of the famed ‘Fab Four’, Root had a great chance to underline his status as one of the best batsmen in this generation.

But he could not inspire his team to any great effect, as England hardly put up a fight in ongoing Ashes series.

Australia have already won back the Ashes as they won all three of the test matches that have been played so far. Root himself has been a big disappointment, as the England captain had no answer to Australia’s superb bowling attack.

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His Aussie counterpart, Steve Smith, on the other hand has had a terrific series as the Aussie skipper has been unstoppable with the bat so far.

A brilliant century in Brisbane was followed by a terrific 239 in the Perth test, as he effectively batted England out of Ashes.

And his latest performances have given him the record number of points in the latest ICC test rankings, as Smith as established himself as the number one test batsman in the world.

Virat Kohli is second on the list followed by England captain Joe Root and Chetashwar Pujara. KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane are the other two Indian batsmen in the top 20 with Rahul at number 12 and Rahane at number 18 respectively.

Kohli will be looking forward to the South Africa series which is expected to be a huge test for team India. With a balanced bowling attack and settled batting line-up, India has a great chance to win their first ever series in South Africa.

With history beckoning Team India, Kohli will no doubt be hugely motivated to lead from the front in South Africa!

ICC TEST BATSMEN RANKINGS :

Steve Smith – 938 points

Virat Kohli   – 893 points

Joe Root        – 879 points

Cheteshwar Pujara – 873 points

Kane Williamson – 855 points

David Warner – 815 points

Hashim Amla – 795 points

Azhar Ali     – 755 points

Dinesh Chandimal – 743 points

Ross Taylor  – 739 points