Fab-4 Legacy: As we venture further into the statistics of the world’s elite Test batters, we witness the dominant “Fab Four” peak has now shifted positions. Heading into 2021, Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root were leveled on Test centuries. Forward to now, a more different landscape is the backdrop that allows for the flourishing of Joe Root’s career in cricket.
Centuries Heading Into The Start Of 2021
Here is how the Fab Four stats of Test centuries looked at the start of 2021:
Virat Kohli: 27 hundreds
Steven Smith: 26 hundreds
Kane Williamson: 24 hundreds
Joe Root: 17 hundreds
This latest look, though, still had Kohli at the forefront, with Smith and Williamson close on his heels, while Root was behind them. There were always hitches to their legacies at the time, Kohli’s prolific scoring and Smith’s batting style, while Root was still trying to make his credentials.
Fab 4 Test centuries at 2021 start:
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 9, 2024
1. Virat Kohli – 27.
2. Steven Smith – 26.
3. Kane Williamson – 24.
4. Joe Root – 17.
Fab 4 Test centuries now:
1. Joe Root – 35*.
2. Williamson – 32.
3. Smith – 32.
4. Kohli – 29.
Also Read: Record Alert!: Joe Root Breaks Alastair Cook’s Record To Become England’s All-Time Test Run Scorer
Current Centuries: Changing Of Guard
Currently, rank has taken a drastic turn of its own and it is now Joe Root who takes the top spot when it comes to Test centuries:
Joe Root: 35 centuries
Kane Williamson: 32 tons
Steven Smith: 32 tons
Virat Kohli: 29 tons
Joe Root garnered 35 Test hundreds, which put him in first place among the Fab Four but also marked him as a mature player. Adaptability and maintenance of consistency under pressure have been the turning point in his rise to fame.
Williamson and Smith remain the nearest challengers at 32 tons each with signs of their sustained dominance. With 29 centuries to his name, Kohli remains a force to reckon with but has appeared to slip ever so slightly compared to his earlier years.
Fab four test centuries are an enshrined testament to the dynamic nature of the game as the onus shifts from Virat Kohli over to Joe Root. Along with each player continuing to score for his team, competition in decades will remain razor-sharp promising exciting cricket for people the world over. With Root as the leader, the history of the Fab Four isn’t over yet and is going to be interesting how the records are going to change in the future.
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