“Joe Root and Virat Kohli are right up there at the top” – Ravichandran Ashwin on the ‘Fab Four’

India’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels the talismanic duo of Joe Root and Virat Kohli are right up there at the top. Root has been in sublime form in the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka. The former England captain has amassed 350 runs in two Test matches at an unbelievable average of 116.67, including two centuries against the visitors.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli has performed consistently for India over the years. Kohli didn’t have a great run in the T20 World Cup however he scored a match-winning knock of 76 runs off 59 balls in the final against South Africa at Barbados.

Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “If I pick two from the top four, without any rankings, Joe Root and Virat Kohli are right up there at the top. Kane Williamson and Steve Smith might have been slightly behind. Williamson has been blocked by injuries. We shouldn’t forget that.

“If batters have a lot of tennis elbow issues, it is very difficult Steve Smith found that mid-area when he wanted to play all formats. He has gone through a little bit of a dip but these are high-quality players. Again, I wouldn’t be surprised if those guys came back and hit another purple patch.”

Ashwin noted that Joe Root has the advantage as he plays only in the red-ball format for England.

“One thing that makes life very easy for Joe Root is that one format. He is always fresh. Because a player of that calibre when he is fresh, if he does the correct workload management, he peaks, he gets into some solid performances and of course, he is a high-quality player.”

Root scored his 34th Test century against Sri Lanka in the second innings of the second Test match at Lord’s on Saturday. With it, Root went past former England skipper Alastair Cook’s tally of centuries in the red-ball format to become country’s highest century-maker.

Earlier, Root had scored a fine knock of 143 runs in the first essay against Sri Lanka to level Cook’s record.