End of the Fab Four era? How Virat Kohli and Steven Smith lost their way

The number 'four' carries much weight across all spheres of life - from quarters in a year to directions to sporting quartets. Likewise, cricket has been blessed over the past decade with an awesome foursome of their own - the 'Fab Four' of batting in Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root.

The term 'Fab Four' was first invented by the late New Zealand batter Martin Crowe over a decade back in the middle of 2014.

While the four have dominated across formats with individual brilliance and team success, our focus for this discussion will be on their exploits in Tests. All four have held pole positions among fans on numerous occasions over the past decade in Test cricket.

Furthermore, cricket lovers are currently spoilt for choice with all four thrilling Trans-Tasmanian crowds, but are they really?

Before we answer that, it is only fair we pay tribute to each of the four and their remarkable accomplishments in Test cricket.

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Fab Four define domination in their peak years

England v Australia - LV= Insurance Ashes 5th Test Match: Day Three - Source: Getty

One word springs to mind after a glance at the Fab Four's overall Test numbers - 'Domination'. While each of the four has taken turns holding the mythical 'Best batter in the world' title, the race to ultimate glory is still ongoing.

Joe Root leads the pack for most Test runs among the Fab Four members with almost 13,000 runs. The stylish English batter is already fifth all-time among run-getters in Tests and looks on course to eventually finish at the mountain top.

Smith is second with 9,704 runs (15th all-time) followed by Kohli and Williamson (18th and 19th all-time) with 9,163 and 9,076 runs, respectively.

While Root has a healthy lead in the overall runs department, his Ashes rival Smith leads the pack in Test average with an incredible 56.09. Williamson is next at 54.34, followed by Root and Kohli at 50.93 and 47.72, respectively.

The pendulum once again swings to Root for three-figure scores in Tests with the English No.4 boasting 36 centuries to Smith and Williamson's 32 each and Kohli's 30.

Yet, even as it feels like Kohli is a clear fourth among the Fab Four in Tests, a case can be made that he boasts more memorable knocks away from home than Root and Williamson at least.

The second half of the 2010s was especially domination of the highest order from the Fab Four as each one averaged over 50 in Tests in the period between 2014 to 2019. Smith was head and shoulders above the rest with an imperious average of 72.02 in 56 matches, including 24 centuries.

While Williamson was second with an average of 61.95, Kohli was only slightly behind with a 58.71 average in the six years. Root, whose conversion rate was a major issue, still averaged an admirable 50.82 in 74 Tests.

All of this means the jury is still out on who among the four will ultimately finish at the top of the Test pecking order.

In saying that, recent discussions have been around the end of the Fab Four era, thanks to Kohli and Smith's indifferent Test form over the last few years. The story has been a tale of two halves since 2020 with Root and Williamson holding the fort, while Kohli and Smith have gone south with their performances.

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2020 and Beyond: Root and Williamson carry the 'Fab Four' Flag

England v New Zealand - Third LV= Insurance Test Match: Day Five - Source: Getty

As evenly matched as the first half (2014-2019) of the Fab Four rivalry was in Tests, the tale has been quite the opposite since.

While Root has significantly enhanced his already incredible standards over the last three years, Williamson has remained steadily spectacular as ever. However, the duo of Kohli and Smith have endured an unfathomable dropoff in their Test batting numbers in the 2020s.

The star English batter has averaged a stellar 54.72 in 62 Tests since the turn of the decade with 19 of his 36 centuries coming in this period. Meanwhile, the stylish Kiwi right-hander has even outdone Root in consistency with an average of 62.72 from 2020 to now.

However, Williamson has been plagued by injuries in this stretch, resulting in him playing only 26 Tests and scoring only 11 centuries despite the remarkably high average.

While the duo have held their side of the bargain, the same cannot be said about Kohli and Smith.

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The gloomy Kohli and Smith story

BOXING DAY TEST: DEC 07 NRMA Insurance Day-Night Test - Source: Getty

As for Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, things have taken a stunning downward spiral in Tests over the past half a decade. Lest we forget, comparisons with Sir Don Bradman were in full force after Smith's historic 2019 Ashes series in England.

With an average well over 60, the Aussie star had the world on his feet when it came to red-ball cricket. Yet, a dismal 2020 with an average of under 20 in three Tests followed.

Any questions about Smtih's form were, however, dismissed immediately as he was back to his dominant best, averaging over 53.75 and 58.40 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. A mediocre average of 42.22 in 13 Tests in 2023 was dismissed as just a return to the mean, considering his inimitable high over the past decade.

Yet, what was considered a blip in 2023 started growing into a trend, with Smith averaging a paltry 23.20 in seven Tests this year. After averaging an incredible one century per 3.5 Tests, the former Australian captain has scored only six centuries in the last five years at a rate of one every 6.5 Tests.

Nevertheless, an average of 43.05 in 39 Tests between 2020 and 2024 looks sub-par only because of the bar Smith had set for himself in the years prior.

As for Kohli, things have been substantially worse in Tests since 2020, with the Indian superstar averaging 32.14 in 36 outings. Barring an excellent 2023 where he averaged 55.91 in eight games, the 36-year-old has averaged under 30 in each of the other four seasons from 2020 to 2024.

Kohli has also scored only three centuries during this period, raising stunning questions about his place in the Test side.

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End of the Fab Four Era?

It would be foolish and downright premature to write off any of these four legends until they walk away from the sport. Each has overcome several ruts in their illustrious careers to establish themselves as the batting forces of modern-day cricket.

While Root is seemingly on a path by himself in Tests, with the seemingly unconquerable Sachin Tendulkar within sight, Williamson continues to produce the goods despite his routine fitness issues over the past few years.

When it comes to Smith, he may not have age on his side at 35 but only 2024 has been downright horrific in Test cricket. A lot of that can also be attributed to him willingly opening the batting for most of this year after David Warner's retirement.

The most concerning of the lot is the extended poor form of Kohli since 2020. The worryingly similar dismissal modes against pace and the diminishing returns against spin during this period have made fans wonder if the end is really near for the 36-year-old.

Yet, Kohli's ability to bounce back from adversity has been a major part of his incredible legacy. Only time will tell whether he will be able to overturn a five-year down period and return to his best.

However, the Fab Four batters have dominated world cricket too much for too long to be counted out until they willingly walk into the sunset themselves.