Better Than Kohli? How Poorly Did Other Fab 4 Members Perform During Their Low Phase?

Kohli’s poor form has been a matter of intense debate over the last few months. The voices, both in support and against the cricketer’s continued inclusion in the Indian team, have been growing with every failure of the 33-year-old...

- Renin Wilben

Virat Kohli’s poor form has been a matter of intense debate over the last few months. The voices, both in support and against the cricketer’s continued inclusion in the Indian team, have been growing with every failure of the 33-year-old. Recently, the former Indian captain had a horror run in England during which he registered a highest score of 20 from six international innings across the three formats. Subsequently, he was rested for the entire white ball series in the West Indies, which led to another controversy. Some even questioned if he had been dropped. Kohli’s form is a genuine concern no doubt. While he doesn’t have an international century since November 2019, his overall numbers in the last two years are not great either. Since the start of January 2021, Kohli has played 15 Tests in which he has scored 756 runs at an average of 29.07, way below his overall average of nearly 50. His highest score during his phase has been 79 while he also registered a score of 72 against England. His away average during this period (31.53) is slightly better than his home average (26.27). The numbers are disappointing nonetheless. In one-day matches starting January 2021, Kohli has 304 runs in 11 games at an average of 27.63. He has a highest score of 66, which came against England and scored 65 during the tour of South Africa at the start of 2022. He averages 25.83 in home ODIs during this phase and 29.80 in away games. Clearly, the numbers make for unimpressive reading. But, it would be an interesting exercise to analyze how the other members of the Fab 4 performed during their lean phase. We do the number-crunching.

JOE ROOT