Former England captain Alastair Cook believes that New Zealand’s Kane Williamson is the only player who can match the exceptional form of Joe Root at present. Root, along with Virat Kohli and Steven Smith, forms the ‘Fab Four’ of Test cricket. However, Root has consistently outperformed his rivals in recent years.
With 12,716 Test runs, Root is just 3,206 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 runs. Root’s remarkable consistency has made him a formidable force in Test cricket.
Cook, who played alongside Root for England, is impressed by his friend’s unwavering hunger for runs. “I think at this precise moment in time, I find it hard to see anyone playing as well as Joe Root,” Cook said. “Over the last year or so of the so-called ‘Big Four’, I think Williamson and him are probably in the best form at the moment.”
Williamson, who is also part of the ‘Fab Four’, has been in excellent form himself. However, a groin strain has ruled him out of the first two Tests of New Zealand’s series against India.
Cook believes that both Root and Williamson possess a unique combination of talent and determination. “They’re all wonderful, wonderful players, all very different, actually, in their methods and ways of playing,” Cook said. “But one thing which, kind of unites them is that hunger and desire to keep improving and keep churning out the runs.”
Root is currently playing in the three-match Test series against Pakistan, while Williamson is expected to return for the third Test against India. The battle between these two exceptional batsmen will be one of the highlights of the upcoming Test matches.
