Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad ranked the best Test batters of this century in their “ For The Love Of Cricket” podcast. The list they put out has already sparked arguments, especially on social media, but it is an interesting mix of pure longevity, peak brilliance, and personal bias from two England players who have played against most of these players. They put Sachin Tendulkar at number one and it was an easy choice. The Master Blaster finished with 15,921 Test runs at an average of 53.78, including a record 51 hundreds. Brian Lara was second in the list and it was yet another brilliant pick. The West Indian’s 11,953 runs came at an average of 52.88 with 34 centuries.
Interestingly Steve Smith took the third spot ahead of England’s Joe Root. The Australian’s unusual technique has produced more than 10,900 runs at an average of close to 56, with 37 hundreds. Joe Root is fourth and has already scored more than 14,000 runs and sits on 41 centuries. Ricky Ponting rounds out the top five with 13,378 runs at 51.85 and 41 hundreds of his own.
Virat Kohli at Number 10 sparks debate
From six to ten the conversation got louder and there were plenty of debates. Kumar Sangakkara (12,400 runs at 57.40, 38 hundreds) and Jacques Kallis (13,289 runs at 55.37, 45 hundreds) were sixth and seventh on the list. AB de Villiers was ranked eight and Rahul Dravid at nine and it was once again an interesting decision as both men have a good record. Then comes the ranking that left some fans shocked with Virat Kohli at number ten.
Kohli retired from Tests in 2025 with 9,230 runs in 123 matches at 46.85 and 30 hundreds. Those numbers are strong, but they sit below the career tallies of almost everyone above him. Some of the critics said the ranking ignores his peak years and the way he transformed India’s away record. While others pointed out that averages and centuries still matter, and Kohli’s later decline dragged the overall figures down. Broad bowled at many of these players while Buttler grew up idolising some and competing against others. Their top ten list has been based on their experiences and it put out an interesting debate between the fans.
