The Indian captain Kohli, from the end of the tour of England in 2014, to the conclusion of the Second Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata last month, averaged 63 with the bat, with 21 hundreds and 13 fifties. It gives him the unique distinction of being the only player over the past ten years of averaging over 50 in all three formats of the international game.
Kohli has also been named as captain of the Wisden Test team of the decade, and has also been chosen in the ODI team, alongside two more Indian players MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
Smith is arguably Kohlis closest rival to the title of best batsman in the world right now. In the past decade he has played 71 tests and scored more than 7,000 runs at an average of 63.14, with 26 hundreds to his name, and a best score of 239. He has also played in 118 ODIs and 36 T2oIs, scoring more than 4,000 international runs across both formats. His figures would, arguably, have been even better had he not served a years ban from international cricket for his part in the infamous Sandpaper Gate ball tampering incident.
Along with Morn Morkel and Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn formed part of what is widely regarded as the finest bowling attack South Africa has ever produced, helping their country top the IC test rankings in 2013 and 2014. In August this year he retired from test cricket at the age of 36, having taken 439 wickets in 93 matches, and is considered one of the best fast bowlers of the modern era.
His South African team mate, AB de Villiers, has garnered a reputation as much for his ability to defend, as for his attacking shots. He is only one of two men fellow South African Hashim Amla to have faced more than 200 deliveries in a test match innings for less than 50 runs in the past decade. And de Villiers managed it three times, drawing him level in the all-time list with John Wright of New Zealand.
Last, but not least, Ellyse Perry began the decade as an opening bowler, but evolved along the way to become a world-class all-rounder across all formats of the game, with a batting average of 114.6, and a bowling one of less than 17. Her statistics would be better still if she had played more, but, due to the current limitations of the womens game, she has only played eight tests in the past ten years.