Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has ranked Virat Kohli ahead of Pakistan's all-format captain Babar Azam in the longest format of the game.
Watson, in an interview with International Cricket Council (ICC), ranked Virat Kohli as the best batter in Test cricket but praised Babar Azam alongside.
"Babar Azam is currently playing incredibly well ... to be able to see how he has adapted his game has helped him in Test cricket as well," Watson stated during the interview.
The all-rounder admitted that Babar is currently "the second best batsman in the world right now."
Babar delivered a remarkable performance in the recently concluded home series against Australia and amassed 390 runs which included a memorable 196-run innings.
Watson added the remaining candidates Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root to wrap up his top-five best batters list.
Here are the top-five batsmen in Test cricket at the moment, according to Shane Watson: