Ananya: Better testing batsmen than Virat Kohli Root and Smith? Monty Panesar put King 1 between ‘Fab Four’
On August 29, 2014, Martin Crowe coined the word ‘Fab 4’, describing four best young test batsmen in the world – Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.
Virat Kohli has just completed cricket. Kohli has recently pairing an elusive trophy in his already stacked cabinet, raising the IPL 2025 crown with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He has now won everything except the World Test Championship (WTC), something that he can no longer win is that Kohli has retired from the test format.
Now that the curtain has been put in his magnificent Test career, where do he lie between ‘Fab Four’? According to former English spinner Monty Panesar, he is number one.
What does Kohli set apart from his peers?
While speaking especially InsidesportMonty Panesar warned about the player, which is about the player Kohli. Kohli was brought every time when he stepped on the field.
Panesar mentioned, Kohli made Test cricket more enjoyable and forced the protest to make him strategic against him.
“I think he has been well done in Test cricket, his strongest format in T20 cricket and his strongest format. From the perspective that he has been played with intensity and energy. He is probably there. He is the one who discusses a lot of teams. There is a lot of discussion about a lot of teams.Panesar told Insidesport.
Kohli is the best among ‘Fab Four’?
Panesar, who once rejected Kohli during a successful Test tour in 2012, clarified that Kohli has his place as the best among ‘Fab Four’. Kohli, despite not joining the Elite 10,000-Run Club, his energy to lift the team made him more “prostitute”.
The spinner, who was born in the UK, compared Kohli to The Great, as an example citing Imran Khan, Sir Vivian Richards and Shane Warne.
You see some cricketers like Viv Richards, Shane Warne, Imran Khan – they are just a watchman cricketers. Virat Kohli is also in that frame of cricketers. He is very attentive. Your eyes are always on it. What is he doing? How is he making energy? He is bringing intensity in. From that point of view, I believe that Virat Kohli is the top one in Fab Four. ,
The overall test record of Fab 4. Kohli
| Fab Four | Turn | Run | 50/100 | average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | 278 | 12972 | 36 and 65 | 50.87 |
| Steve Smith | 206 | 10271 | 36 and 41 | 56.74 |
| Virat Kohli | 210 | 9230 | 30 and 31 | 46.85 |
| Ken Williamson | 186 | 9276 | 33 and 37 | 54.88 |
Kohli completed his Test career with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests, and a captaincy record of 40 wins in 68 matches. His last series-2024–25 saw a single century in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy-Ne Perth, but also highlighted his struggles against the Seem movement, which was one of some defects in his test career.
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