Virat Kohli has just completed cricket. With the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) recently lifting the IPL 2025 crown, Kohli has added the elusive trophy in his already-stacked cabinet. He’s now won everything barring the World Test Championship (WTC), something he cannot win now that Kohli has retired from the Test format.
Now that the curtains have been put down on his fabulous Test career, where does he lie among the ‘Fab Four’? Well, he’s number one, according to former English spinner Monty Panesar.
INSIDESPORT EXCLUSIVE
Monty Panesar Said:
“VIRAT KOHLI RANKS ON THE TOP IN THE FAB 4 LIST. NOT JUST FOR HIS BATTING SKILLS BUT FOR THE INTENSITY & THE ENERGY HE GETS ON THE FIELD” pic.twitter.com/8yEyClwPVY
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) June 5, 2025
What sets Kohli apart from his peers?
While speaking exclusively to InsideSport, Monty Panesar waxed lyrical about Virat Kohli, the player. He mentioned about the exuberant energy and intensity Kohli brought in every time he stepped onto the field.
Like Panesar mentioned, Kohli made Test cricket more enjoyable and forced the opposition to strategise against him.
“I think he’s done well in Test cricket, in T20 cricket and his strongest format is ODIs. From that perspective given with the intensity and energy he’s played. He’s probably up there. He’s the one that a lot of teams discuss. A lot of teams discuss about that the intensity, the energy, and the showmanship. It’s not about the runs, it’s about the character as well. And he has a character about him,” Panesar told InsideSport.
Kohli best among ‘Fab Four’?
Panesar, who dismissed Kohli once during a successful Test tour of India in 2012, clarified that Kohli has his place set as the best among the ‘Fab Four’. Despite Kohli not joining the elite 10,000-run club, his energy of lifting the team made him more “watchable”.
The spinner, who was born in the UK, compared Kohli to the greats, citing Imran Khan, Sir Vivian Richards, and Shane Warne as examples.
You look at a few cricketers like Viv Richards, Shane Warne, Imran Khan – they are just watchable cricketers. Virat Kohli is in that frame of cricketers as well. He’s very watchable. Your eyes are always on him. What is he doing? How’s he creating the energy? Intensity he’s bringing in. From that point of view, I believe Virat Kohli is the top one in Fab four.”
Fab 4’s overall Test record ft. Kohli
| Fab Four | Innings | Runs | 50/100 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Root | 278 | 12972 | 36 & 65 | 50.87 |
| Steve Smith | 206 | 10271 | 36 & 41 | 56.74 |
| Virat Kohli | 210 | 9230 | 30 & 31 | 46.85 |
| Kane Williamson | 186 | 9276 | 33 & 37 | 54.88 |
Kohli finished his Test career with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests, and a captaincy record of 40 wins in 68 matches. His final series — the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy — saw a lone century in Perth but also highlighted his struggles against seam movement, one of the few blemishes in his Test career.
The post Exclusive: Virat Kohli better Test batter than Root & Smith? Monty Panesar puts King 1st among ‘Fab Four’ appeared first on Inside Sport India.