Smith the best of his generation? Ponting says it's hard to argue against it

It was a milestone day for Smith in Galle. With a single in the first ball of his knock, he became the 15th player to reach the five-figure landmark in Test cricket, fourth from Australia, joining the likes of Ponting, and joint second-fastest to the feat.

In the final session of the opening day, Smith scored his 35th Test century as he went past Sunil Gavaskar in the all-time list. The knock, alongside a 195-run stand with Usman Khawaja, saw Australia rack up 330 for two on Day 1 against a sloppy Sri Lankan side.

Following the big milestones Smith reached, Ponting reckoned it was hard to look past the star batter as the best batter in the current generation. Although, he admitted England's Joe Root is right up their in the conversation.