Ricky Ponting
Virat Kohli
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Virat Kohli leads 2 of 3 categories. Our all-time ranking places Ricky Ponting at #9 and Virat Kohli at #12.
Head-to-head FAQ
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The case for Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting was the driving force of the most dominant team of the modern era and one of Test cricket's heaviest scorers. He amassed 13,378 Test runs with 41 centuries and 13,704 ODI runs, second only to Tendulkar in both. A brilliant puller and cutter with fast hands, he anchored Australia's batting for over a decade. As captain he won 48 of his 77 Tests and lifted two of his three World Cup titles, in 2003 and 2007, leading a side that went undefeated across those tournaments. His unbeaten 140 in the 2003 World Cup final against India was a masterclass in one-day batting. Ponting's fierce competitiveness and outstanding fielding at silly point and in the covers made him the embodiment of Australian cricket's golden generation, and his combined run tally across formats ranks among the very highest ever.
The case for Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the defining batsman of the post-2010 era and the greatest chaser of a target the one-day game has seen. Since debuting in 2008 he has scored more than 27,000 international runs and, as of early 2025, over 80 international centuries, including a record 50-plus ODI hundreds that surpassed Tendulkar's long-standing mark. His genius is at its clearest pursuing totals: his average in successful ODI run chases sits far above anyone else's, built on immaculate placement, running between the wickets, and control of tempo. Kohli scored heavily across all three formats, led India to the top of the Test rankings, and drove a new standard of fitness and intensity in the modern game. His 82 not out against Pakistan at the 2022 T20 World Cup is among the most celebrated innings of the era. He remains the benchmark for consistency and competitive hunger in contemporary batting.