Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson don’t face as much pressure as Virat Kohli: Parthiv Patel and Tamim Iqbal

At about the same time, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root all made their international debuts and turned cricketing circles upside down with their reliable performances in all formats. Fans referred to these players as the “Fab Four” in a loving manner. They have frequently made comparisons between them based on the various qualities that they all have. But because he hasn’t performed up to his high standards in the longest format of the game, Kohli has plummeted down the ladder in recent years.

Parthiv Patel and Tamim Iqbal, two former international cricket players, asserted that Virat Kohli is the only member of the Fab Four who faces pressure. Kohli hasn’t had a fantastic time in Test cricket compared to the other three; since 2023, he has only scored two hundreds and two fifties.

Prior to the commencement of the second Test on Friday, September 27, at Green Park, Kanpur, Parthiv and Tamim were questioned about whether or not Kohli has been under pressure lately. The former Indian wicketkeeper claimed that Williamson, Root, and Smith don’t experience the same level of pressure that the veteran Indian batsman does while playing.

“I don’t believe he’s under that much strain. You correctly pointed out that none of them—Smith, Joe Root, or Williamson—can possibly imagine the kind of pressure he must be under. There is a great deal of strain from expectations. He has raised the bar so high that it is perceived as a failure even if he receives a 60 or 70, according to Parthiv.

“We want him to score 100 every time he steps in. We anticipate that level of energy from him, since he consistently plays with it. However, you also need to acknowledge that even if he is growing older, Virat Kohli’s passion for playing Test cricket and doing well will always endure. However, I don’t believe he would be under that much pressure to succeed. However, because of the bar he has established, people always have great expectations of us,” he continued.

The three of them taken together do not exert the same pressure: Tamim Iqbal

Considering that he has won multiple matches for his country on his own, Tamim claimed that Kohli is the finest batter of the four in white-ball cricket. The former captain of Bangladesh also stated that the pressure on Kohli is greater than the combined pressure on the other three players.

Additionally, I believe that the Fab Four that we are discussing have excelled in Test match cricket. Because it is practically impossible for a batsman to win a game by himself in a Test match of cricket. Everything is covered in the two innings.”

In white-ball cricket, however, they are also referred to as the “Fab 4.” Without a doubt, none of the other three have won as many games as Kohli has for India, both in terms of his accomplishments and the number of matches he has won on his own.

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And as you pointed out, given the strain he endures, I don’t think the three of them together experience the same kind of pressure,” Tamim remarked.