Former Australian skipper and current middle-order batsman Steve Smith, who was once considered the best in the world across all three formats has chosen Virat Kohli as the best cricketer in the world, currently. Smith was asked to pick the top five cricketers in the world at the moment, and surprisingly, he has included two Indians in his list.
He also named his compatriot Pat Cummins in the list but didn't include any other Australian players. Notably, Australia recently exited the T20 World Cup 2022 in the group stage itself, after failing to qualify for the semifinals.
Smith included Virat and Ravindra Jadeja in his top five picks, with one England batsman and a South African pacer rounding up the top five.
READ| IPL 2023: Top 10 hilarious memes after IPL retentions as fans refuse to keep calm
Kohli topped the list and has indeed been unplayable at times since the Asia Cup 2022, regaining his old touch. The 34-year-old scored 296 runs in the World Cup, finishing as the tournament's highest-run-getter, after smashing half-centuries against Pakistan, Bangladesh, Netherlands and England.
After Kohli, Smith chose Joe Root, who along with Kane Williamson were called the 'Fab Four' for having dominated the world cricketer like none others.
Root didn't feature for England at the World Cup, but has been in sensational form in red-ball cricket. Next, Steve went with his teammate Cummins to round off the top 3. Cummins did feature for Australia at the World Cup but failed to inspire the hosts beyond the group stage.
READ| IPL 2023 auction: Full retention lists, salary purse for MI, CSK, RCB, GT, SRH, PBKS, KKR, DC, RR, LSG
At number four, the Australian great went with Kagiso Rabada, who deservedly is considered as one of the world's top pacers for his sheer pace and ability to trouble batsmen with his swing.
Finally, Smith named Ravindra Jadeja as the fifth-best player in the world currently, the all-rounder has been a standout player for India both with the bat and the ball, and he is also considered among the best fielders in the world. Jadeja missed the T20 World Cup through injury and was sorely missed by the Men in Blue.
