'Virat Kohli No Longer A Part Of Fab Four', Says Ex-India Star

image-ljtv16usKohli has been criticised for his performance [AP Photos]

Virat Kohli returned with below-par scores of 14 and 49 against Australia at the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 Final in June. Notably, the cricketer turned up at the match after cracking a sublime 186 against the same opponents earlier this year.

Kohli, who once constituted the ‘Fab Four’ of Test match batting, is in the middle of an extensive lean patch in the format since late 2019. Apparently, former India star Aakash Chopra even believes that the batting veteran is no longer a part of the elite pack, and the term itself has been reduced to ‘Fab Three’ at the moment.


Chopra says there is no 'Fab Four' now

Kohli was at the peak of his batting prowess in Tests between mid-2014 and late-2019. He plundered runs in heap every season, but his flop show in New Zealand in February 2020 signalled his extensive lean patch in the format.

The cricketer spent 40 innings without hitting a century, until he whacked his drought-ending 186 this year. Past demons came back to haunt him at the WTC final as he once again looked clueless against a potent pace attack and fourth-stump line outside the off stump.

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra believes that Kohli’s dry run with the bat has removed him from Test cricket’s contemporary ‘Fab Four’ list, which he once shared with fellow modern greats Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root.

Chopra also took note of David Warner’s decline in form, and stated that the Australian opener is no longer a part of an extensive ‘Fab Four’, despite being widely considered as one of the best in the world until a couple of seasons ago.

Talking on his YouTube channel, the cricketer-turned-commentator said:

"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 Four' now, only a 'Fab Three'."

After WTC failure, Kohli has a chance for some redemption as he braces himself for West Indies Tests in the Caribbean this month. The Indian team will be playing a two-match series against the hosts between July 12 and July 24, and the matches itself will herald India’s first set of fixtures at the WTC 2023-25 cycle.