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The likes of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and David Warner are deemed as the juggernauts of world cricket, given the consistency they have shown over the time in their respective stints. The cricketing world never ceases to draw comparison between the 'Fab Five'.
However, Indian former skipper Kohli is going through a lean patch and are losing grip to keep up with the 'Fab five' race. Despite his patchy phase, Kohli's astonishing consistency shown over the years, has managed to keep his stature intact in the list of top batters in the world.
Meanwhile, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri recalled Kohli's dominance and weighed in on his 'shocking' statistic that he found during the rearranged fifth Test between India and England.
"Sometimes, it is important that when we talk about this rest and all that. Later on, you realise that when you are back in the media, you are doing all television, people come out with star. One stat that emerged during a Test match against England, which shocked me, really. It said that in the last three years, when you look at the top players in the world, that is [Kane] Williamson, David Warner, Babar Azam, Virat Kohli and Joe Root, Virat had played three times the number of games as everyone else across all cricket," Shastri said.
"So it shocked me where he was at about 950 games and that next was at 400. They had played less than half. When you are captain of a side, playing all three formats, it takes a toll. And it would have sucked whatever out of him. And that's why the break might just help him come around and do wonders".
Shastri is upbeat about the fact that King Kohli will surely come out of his form slump to his ever best avatar as he also feels that there is no Indian cricketer above the high-profile batter and that for his age, he is a machine. It is a case of Kohli getting his mind right and being in the right frame to approach games.
"People keep saying... it's often used that one or two innings can make a difference. But with a player like this, it can make a massive difference because he has got the fitness, he has got the physical strength. Performance will get the mental strength back and the hunger and passion remain undiminished. Let me assure you that," added Shastri.
"He is hungry, passionate and must have learned from this patch that he has gone through. All players do. When you are suddenly on the rise right at the pinnacle of your career and then have a slump which brings you right down, then it's your character that makes you get up and stand and fight again," he further added.
