Ravi Shastri Predicts Comeback for Virat Kohli, Steve Smith in Fab Four Rankings

Ravi Shastri Predicts Comeback for Virat Kohli, Steve Smith: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, currently behind Joe Root and Kane Williamson in the Fab Four rankings, will be hungry and determined to bounce back in the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

While both Kohli and Smith have scored a century each in the ongoing series, they have struggled to maintain consistency across the three matches.

"I think they (Kohli and Smith) will have slipped down the ranks on the current form because you know you've got the likes of Root taking off, Williamson is doing well, Harry Brook has come onto the scene, you know there are a lot of other young players pushing but these are class players," Shastri said in the ICC Review.

"In a situation like this, you know they'll be dangerous because they'll be hungry."

For Shastri, Test cricket necessitates patience and mental toughness. He cited Steve Smith as an eminent case in point. Smith's early stats were modest this year, but when his team needed him most, he persevered and bounced back.

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Furthermore, Ravi Shastri mentioned that Steve Smith already knows what he needs to do, as evidenced by his impressive century in Brisbane. The former Indian captain believes that Kohli, like Smith, needs to focus on showing discipline in the first 40 minutes to settle into his rhythm and regain his form.

Notably, England’s iconic batter Joe Root is leading the scoring charts among the Fab Four in 2024, with 1556 runs in 17 Tests at an average of 55.57. On the other hand, New Zealand’s batting master Kane Williamson has the highest Test average of 59.58, with 1013 runs.

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Talking about Steve Smith, the Australian right-hander is at the bottom with just 337 runs, but his average of 28.08 is still better than Virat Kohli's, who has scored only 25.06 runs per inning this year.

"What’s needed you saw from Smith. It might have been a struggle early on but he was prepared to play the waiting game and be disciplined,” Shastri noted.

Talking about Kohli's struggles, he suggested that he needs to show some discipline in the first 40 minutes to get into the zone.

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