Virat Kohli has had an average of nearly 26 in Test matches and has appeared to be out of form on most occasions.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra shares his opinion that, based on his current form, Virat Kohli can no longer be considered a part of the esteemed Fab Four. This group, consisting of Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith, has consistently excelled in Test cricket, particularly over the past decade. However, with Virat experiencing a slump since 2020, resulting in a dip in his average below 50 for the first time in many years, Aakash believes that the former India captain is now playing catch-up.
Currently, Kane Williamson is unable to play due to a leg injury he sustained during the IPL 2023 opener against the Chennai Super Kings. Meanwhile, both Root and Smith are actively participating in the Ashes, where they have each achieved a century in the two Tests played so far. On the other hand, Virat is currently preparing for the West Indies series, as his last Test century was scored in March earlier this year.
However, it is worth noting that since 2020, Virat has struggled to consistently score runs, let alone achieve centuries as effortlessly as he did in the past. It was during India's first Pink-Ball Test against Bangladesh in 2019, at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, that Virat last hit a three-digit score in international cricket. Surprisingly, it took him nearly three years to accomplish this feat again.
Since achieving that century in November 2019, Virat Kohli has had an average of nearly 26 in Test matches and has appeared to be out of form on most occasions.
Aakash Chopra, speaking on his YouTube channel, drew similarities between Kohli and David Warner, a seasoned batsman who is also struggling. Warner has had a poor record against England's Stuart Broad, being dismissed by him a record-breaking 17 times.
Chopra further stated that due to Kohli's current form, he is no longer part of the esteemed "Fab 4" group of batsmen, reducing it to just the "Fab 3."
“Kane and Joe Root, no question about it. Steve Smith, averaging 50 with six hundreds, no question about him. But David Warner and Virat Kohli, at this point of time, they are not a part of Fab 4. There’s no Fab 4 right now, there’s Fab 3," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Aakash further expressed his opinion on how Babar Azam consistently scores runs in international cricket. He believes that it won't be long before Babar Azam is recognized as one of the top four batters across all formats.
“You might think of adding Babar Azam’s name in there. But while there’s no doubt that he has scored runs in Test cricket, I don’t think he is part of Fab 4 at the moment. I’m only talking about Test matches here," Aakash added.
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 "Virat Kohli (File Photo)")
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