Aakash Chopra said Joe Root has been topped of the so-called Test cricket’s ‘Fab Four’ since the beginning of 2020. Root, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson were named the ‘Fab Four’ for their consistent performances in the Test. They averaged more than 50 in Test cricket between 2014 and 2019, with Root’s average (50.82) being the least among them as well. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra stated that Root, who seemed to be falling behind in the race, has now overtaken the other three as well.
He said, “It seemed like Joe Root was trying to become a part of the ‘Fab Four’ but probably he is not there right now. When you see the numbers now, the story looks different. Joe Root is in a different league altogether. He was lagging slightly behind in the 2014-2019 period, but from January 2020, he has played 43 matches, scored 3837 runs, an average of 54.8 and he has scored 13 centuries. Joe Root is head and shoulders above the rest.”
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Aakash Chopra also added that Root has scored as many centuries as Steve Smith and Kane Williamson combined in this period. He stated that the England batting mainstay has scored runs across the globe, which also included a double century in India, and is even hitting sixes while playing reverse scoops now as well. However, the veteran commentator also acknowledged that Kane Williamson has an even better average than Root and he has scored much fewer runs due to limited opportunities to play Test cricket as well.
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“Kane Williamson – 16 matches, but he has scored 1745 runs in that, which means more than 100 runs per match. He has an average above 72 and he has struck seven centuries. So Kane Williamson, whose star seemed to be on the decline, he has taken a different flight altogether. Steve Smith has hit six centuries, 1949 runs in 27 matches but his average has gone down – 49.97 at the time of recording. Not bad but he also went through a bad patch,” he concluded.
