Aakash Chopra names his 'Fab Four' batsmen

Babar Azam solidified his position as one of the best batsmen in the modern era as he is the only one to have a spot in the top five of the latest ICC batting rankings across formats. He is the no.1 ranked batsman in T20I rankings and recently found his feet in Test cricket as well, scoring bucket load of runs against Australia on away series and then against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at home.

This has led to many experts comparing Babar Azam to the greatest batsmen of today’s time. Former India opener Aakash Chopra even led to naming Azam in his new fab four saying that based on his form and record, he can no longer be ignored from the fab four lists. 1850 runs in 26 Tests, 3359 runs in 74 ODIs and 1471 runs in 38 T20I matches since making his debut in 2015, the Pakistan batsman has caught the attention of everyone.

‘Babar Azam stands shoulder to shoulder with Kohli’: Aakash Chopra

“I would keep Pakistan’s Babar Azam in the fab four. He stands shoulder to shoulder with India’s Virat Kohli. He is the number one batsman in T20Is, number-three in ODIs and number five in Test cricket. If you are in the top five in all three formats then how can you not be in the fab four of world cricket? He should be included in the fab four a 120 per cent,” Chopra was quoted as saying by cricketpakistan.com.pk.

The former India opener said that the current fab four consists of Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root. However, he felt that across all the three formats, a new fab four must be made. He chose India’s Kohli and New Zealand’s Williamson for their stupendous consistency in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

“You would have to start the new fab four with India’s Virat Kohli because he is the number one batsman in two formats. He is in the top ten in T20I cricket as well but is in the bottom half. Have to keep New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in the fab four because of his consistency. He does great in ODIs and is formidable in Tests,” he added.

Chopra further proceeded to choose Rohit Sharma over Australia’s David Warner for the last position in the Fab Four instead of Steve Smith and Joe Root. He felt Warner’s Test performances were a bit botchy and inconsistent and hence Rohit edged him out given that he was on top in ODIs and on the rise in T20Is and Tests as well.