Premier New Zealand batter Kane Williamson gave his take on the big fab four of world cricket and the rise of Joe Root in the last few years. The fab four - Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson - have been the most consistent performers in the past decade. Indian star Kohli holds an edge over other batters as an all-format batter, but when it comes to Test cricket, his level dropped a little in the last couple of years, which allowed his other counterparts to move ahead.
Former England captain Root has shown great consistency in red-ball cricket since the post-COVID era. The Englishman has scored 4567 runs in 49 Tests since 2021, including 17 centuries, half of what he has scored in his Test career, which began in 2012. He is also the top-ranked ICC Test batter at the moment with 922 rating points.
Williamson, who has also been in sublime form with 480 runs in four Tests this year, admitted that Rohit has been something else in Test cricket for a long time. He also hailed the other two members of the Fab Four - Kohli and Smith for taking the game to great heights.
The New Zealand star didn't shy away from calling himself a big fan of Root for the phenomenal batting and is expected to achieve big things in the coming years.
"You mentioned Joe Root. He has been something else for a long period. There is a lot of attention on what he might be able to achieve in a number of years, and it's just incredible that that conversion can even be had. He has been phenomenal. I have been a big fan of his. Not just him, but the other guys (Virat Kohli and Steven Smith) as well. Amazing how they have sort of moved the game forward in a big way," Williamson told reporters while praising Root in Greater Noida.
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Kane Williamson ready for sub-continent challenge
{{/usCountry}}"You mentioned Joe Root. He has been something else for a long period. There is a lot of attention on what he might be able to achieve in a number of years, and it's just incredible that that conversion can even be had. He has been phenomenal. I have been a big fan of his. Not just him, but the other guys (Virat Kohli and Steven Smith) as well. Amazing how they have sort of moved the game forward in a big way," Williamson told reporters while praising Root in Greater Noida.
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Kane Williamson ready for sub-continent challenge
{{/usCountry}}New Zealand will play one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida which is amongst the six Tests they are set to play in sub-continent conditions. After the Afghan Test, New Zealand will travel to Sri Lanka to play two Tests and then return to India for a three-match series.
Williamson is aware that during this period, the Kiwis could be challenged in several ways.
"I mean, we are going to be challenged in a number of ways. But, the opportunity to have a block here for us as a team to look have the sort of experiences that we are going to have for the next sort of two-and-a-half months and be better for it. It's an exciting opportunity. Nice to be here, preparing for the first Test. We are looking to take those small steps and try and get familiar with those conditions," he added.