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New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe coined the term 'Fab 4' on 29th August 2014. He applied it to define the four greatest young batters in Test cricket at that point in time. Crowe opined these four guys would end up being red-ball cricket greats. Although he died in 2016, his prophecy began unfolding even before that.

 

Now, nearly 11 years after that was written, one of the four has hung up his boots. Virat Kohli bid adieu to Test cricket last month. He ended with nearly 10,000 Test runs and 30 centuries. The fans everywhere in the world appreciated his work as well as his passion for the longest version of the game.

 

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Joe Root on Kohli and Rohit's Impact

 

Joe Root, former captain of England and also one of the Fab 4, spoke about Kohli’s retirement. He said he never looked at Kohli as a rival. Instead, he admired the way Kohli played the game. Root pointed out that Kohli always gave his best and cared deeply for Test cricket. Even after winning his first IPL trophy, Kohli said nothing could beat the feeling of playing Tests.

 

Root recalled how Kohli used to get agitated in matches and celebrate as if he had personally taken the wicket. Root stated he will miss playing against Kohli and will never forget the battles they shared on the pitch.

 

During an interaction with Sony Sports Network, Root said:

 

“I’ve never been in competition with Virat. He is someone I’ve always admired and thought, ‘Wow, what a player’. I’ll miss those battles we had on the field, but it provides opportunities for other players to try and put their mark on Test cricket."

 

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It is not only Kohli who has walked away. Rohit Sharma, India's Test skipper, also retired from Test cricket just days ahead of Kohli. Although Root did not feature in as many games against Rohit in Tests, he understood how vital Rohit was to the Indian team. Rohit was India's leading scorer on their recent overseas tour.

 

Root added that with the departure of both Kohli and Rohit, Test cricket has lost two such big names. Both had previously retired from T20Is following the and have now also walked away from Tests.

 

The English great added:

 

“Cricket is poorer without them being around. They are two Indian legends. They’ve done amazing things for Indian cricket for such a long period of time. It’ll be a slightly different look to the series, but we still expect it to be highly competitive."

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