Virat Kohli vs Joe Root: Is Virat Kohli losing the Fab Four race?

Former captains of their national side, Virat Kohli and Joe Root have had contrasting outings in the past two years.

Virat Kohli vs Joe Root: Is Virat Kohli losing the Fab Four race?

Virat Kohli and Joe Root (Source: NavBharat Times)


Two modern-day greats of Test cricket, Virat Kohli and Joe Root, are often compared due to their stellar records. Members of the prestigious ‘fab four,’ Kohli and Root have played 22 and 34 tests (including the ongoing Ashes Test) respectively, between 2021 and 2023 so far.

Their most recent outings were a clear summary of what their past two years have been like. Kohli registered two low scores in the WTC final against Australia while Root will head into the second innings of the 1st Ashes Test riding on the back of a scintillating first-innings hundred.

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The number of centuries scored by the two batters in these two years clearly indicates who has fared better. While Root has been piling up runs in the longest format of the game, Kohli has failed to put up a big score.

Also Read: After WTC debacle, Virat Kohli SPOTTED attending Krishna Das’ Kirtan show in London with Anushka Sharma, check pics

What do the statistics reveal?

Virat Kohli and Joe Root
Virat Kohli (L) and Joe Root (R) Source: TOI

In 62 innings, Joe Root has amassed 3,299 runs at an impressive average of 58.91. He has registered 13 centuries and 9 half-centuries during this period. Contrastingly, Virat Kohli has not even managed to score half the amount of those runs in his 38 innings. He has scored 1,161 runs at an average of 31.37 with a solitary hundred and 5 fifties to his name.

InningsRuns100s50sAverage
Joe Root62329991358.91
Virat Kohli3811611531.37
Virat Kohli vs Joe Root (2021-23)

Their total century tally puts Joe Root above Virat Kohli with 30 test hundreds as compared to Kohli’s 28. In the context of the fab four race, Root is the leading run-scorer with 11,112 runs to his name in 131 tests so far and is placed second in the race. Kohli on the other hand has scored 8,479 runs in his 109 matches.

Overall comparison between the two greats ranks Joe Root superior to Virat Kohli. Consistent mistakes have led to Kohli’s dismal performances, once the leader of the ‘fab four,’ he now finds himself struggling to be in the race.

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