The man of the moment, Babar Azam has responded to Aakash Chopra on Fab 4 comment. The former India opener said Virat Kohli is no more in the Fab 4. Instead, it’s Fab 3 as Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith have surpassed Kohli in runs over the last two years. However, Chopra excluded Babar from the list. The Pakistan captain has now hit back ahead of SL vs PAK Test series.
“Everyone has their own point of view and opinion. My job is to perform. All the records I have broken thus far were due to my performances. My focus is to keep giving performances, so the name will keep coming everywhere by itself,” Babar Azam told reporters ahead of the SL vs PAK 1st Test in Galle.
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A look at Fab 4 in WTC 2021-23 cycle
| Player | Country | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Root | England | 22 | 40 | 1915 | 180* | 53.19 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| Steve Smith | Australia | 20 | 32 | 1407 | 200* | 47.74 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 7 | 12 | 752 | 215 | 75.20 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 17 | 30 | 932 | 186 | 32.13 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Babar Azam* | Pakistan | 14 | 26 | 1527 | 196 | 61.08 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
Once a run-machine, Virat Kohli has only been a shadow of his prime. With just one century in Test in the last World Test Championship cycle, he is on the decline. Joe Root has 8 centuries while Steve Smith has 4 and Kane Williamson has 3 centuries in 7 matches despite missing most of the WTC cycle with injuries.
“Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson were a sure shot ‘Fab Four’ at one point. In fact, even David Warner’s name was present on that list. We are talking about Test cricket. We are talking about the period between 2014 and 2019. But we don’t have a ‘Fab 4’ now, only a ‘Fab 3’,” Aakash Chopra said.
To put it bluntly, Kohli is not the No 1, No 2, No 3 or even in the Top 5 of best batters in Test cricket at present. Instead, from the sub-continent, Babar Azam is the new King.
In the last WTC cycle, Babar scored 1527 runs in 26 innings at an average of 61.08. He has 4 centuries and 10 fifties. However, most of them have come in sub-continent conditions.
With Pakistan touring Australia in December, it will be Babar Azam’s acid test. If he scores in the series too, he will surely be the new face of Fab 4.
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