Follow UsSport runs in cycles, which is why we usually see every generation consist of a handful of superstars that dominate the game. The beauty of sport runs in the fact that this supply of great players tends to be a never-ending one, with the athletes of tomorrow eventually taking the baton from the current stars and keeping the cycle going.
Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Kane Williamson — known as the ‘Fab Four’ — have dominated the past decade, but their time is slowly coming to an end, and we’re not far away from the ‘Next Gen’ fully taking over.
But who will form the ‘Next Gen’ of batters that will go on to dominate cricket in the next decade?
"Rachin Ravindra is one of the brightest young talents in the game. We say something similar about Harry Brook, and there's Yashasvi Jaiswal too with India, these are the guys who are going to be among the handful of the next generation of greats,” Atherton told Sky Sports.
"Kane Williamson has obviously been part of what we call 'The Fab Four', along with [Joe] Root, [Steve] Smith and [Virat] Kohli, and I think Ravindra is among the next group of players to take that on.
"He's a fantastic player; some of the shots he played in the semi-final were so stylish."
Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith, too, lavished praise on Ravindra in the aftermath of the 25-year-old’s stunning ton against South Africa in the semi-final of the ongoing Champions Trophy.
"We're seeing some real class here, absolute brilliance. Batting of the future," Smith remarked.
"What an innings; fantastic to watch. He's so easy on the eye, so relaxed, so young! He's so exciting for the game - forget New Zealand - for the game as a whole."
While Brook has already been knocked out of the Champions Trophy, and Jaiswal is not a part of India’s squad, Ravindra will be playing in the final in Dubai on March 9 (Sunday) against India. It will be the first major final of the 25-year-old’s career.