The upcoming Test series between India and England will see two members of the ‘Fab-4’ of Test cricket square off against each other. India’s Virat Kohli and England’s Joe Root have been two of the most consistent batters in the format over the past decade. Australia’s Steve Smith and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson are the other two members of the ‘Fab-4’ of Test cricket. After overcoming a lean patch with the bat, former India opener Aakash Chopra suggested that Kohli is back among his peers.
“Yours truly also said that he is no longer part of the Fab 4. He is now, by the way. It was about the runs at that time, in that period of two years, but he is back again. Steve Smith has fallen away. Kane Williamson is also going 50-50 but this guy is still there. He was there then also and has returned now,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Despite scoring runs, Kohli failed to score a century in over three years between 2019 and 2022.
Chopra added that Kohli has reignited his career, especially in Test cricket, after a three-year lean patch had raised doubts over his future.
“The way he has made a comeback has made his story even more beautiful. It seemed like things were done and dusted and you came and played a World Cup, and became the Player of the Tournament. You reinvented the wheel once again and reignited that passion,” he added.
Kohli has been in sensational form of late. He was the top-scorer in the World Cup last year as India reached the final, only to go down against Australia.
In 11 matches, Kohli amassed 765 runs at an average of 95.62. He also broke Sachin Tendulkar‘s record of most ODI centuries with his knock in the semi-final against New Zealand.
He has also scored 8,848 runs in 113 Test matches for India at an average of 49.15, while scoring 30 fifties, 29 hundreds and seven double hundreds.
India’s squad for first two Tests vs England
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan
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