Ever since Virat’s Test debut in 2011, there emerged a few batters who came close to matching the genius of Kohli but couldn’t surpass the king.
Virat Kohli isn’t just a name that plays cricket but in the last decade, he emerged as no less than a Demigod. It was his prolific batting and the ability to score centuries at will around the globe that made him stand out among the rest.
Ever since Virat’s Test debut in 2011, there emerged a few batters who came close to matching the genius of Kohli but couldn’t surpass the king.
Joe Root was one name that did feature in the ‘Fab 4’ along with Steve Smith and Kane Williamson but despite the best efforts by the Englishman, Kohli reigned supreme in all 3 formats for nearly a decade.
From his debut year in 2011 till the end of 2019, Virat smashed 7202 runs in 141 Test innings at a whopping average of almost 55.
He had smashed 27 Test tons during this period, which was the 2nd-most after Hashim Amla among active players back then. However, the South African batter took 74 innings more than Virat to score that 1 extra hundred.
Till that moment, Root didn’t feature even among the top 7 players. But things were about to change.22 November 2019, the date when Virat smashed a magnificent 136 in the 2nd Test vs Bangladesh and wrapped up another brilliant year in whites. But little did anyone know that an agonising time awaited Virat.
Well, who would have imagined back then that it would be the last Test hundred that Virat would score in over 3 years, a lean patch so bad that Virat seemed like a mere shadow of his vintage best.
At a time when Virat was experiencing the lowest of lows, Root was leaping like a salmon. 2021 proved to be the breakthrough year for the former England captain.
He took the longest format by storm and scored 1708 runs in whites in 2021, the 3rd most in a calendar year in the history of Test cricket.
From his debut in 2012 to the end of 2020, Root scored 17 Test tons but has added 17 more since then, till the end of the 2nd Test vs Sri Lanka.
With centuries in both innings of the Lord’s Test, Root took his total tally of Test tons to 34, the most among active cricketers. Virat too broke his hundred drought in whites with 2 tons in the first half of 2023 but he is now left at the 4th spot on the list with 29 tons in total.
While Root rose the ranks with the speed of light, Kohli is now last among the Fab 4 as far as statistics are concerned. But the fans still believe in Virat Kohli.
Those who have watched him from close quarters know that when on song, he will once again score centuries for breakfast. And despite the twilight of his career, the world awaits for the King to roll back the glory days and reclaim his throne.
