Aakash Chopra, a former cricketer turned commentator, wants Indian opening batsman Rohit Sharma to be included in the Fab 4 club as the fifth member. The finest batsmen of the modern era are usually considered as Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith. Certain sections have also called for Babar Azam and David Warner to be put on the list.
Sharma’s stunning century in the fourth India-England Test at The Oval prompted Chopra’s remarks. Sharma began the construction of what turned out to be a masterclass with floodlights on and ultimately got to his maiden overseas hundred in gloomy conditions. When India triumphed by 157 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series, right-hander Rohit Sharma was named ‘Man of the Match for his 127.
Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has been outstanding with the bat during the Test series against England, scoring 368 runs from eight innings at an average of 52.57 and scoring his maiden overseas Test century in the fourth Test at the Oval. The ‘Hitman’ struck 127 off 256 balls, with 14 fours and a six, to help India post a dominant total of 466, a 367-run advantage, and win the match by 157 runs.
Sharma has been lauded by the cricket community since his eighth career century, and cricketer-turned-expert Chopra has just added to that.
Aakash Chopra argued in a video on his YouTube channel that Rohit Sharma should be added to this list of awe-inspiring all-format players.
“I feel you should change the Fab 4 to Fab 5, Rohit Sharma’s name is going to be included if it is not already there because there is no competition for him in white-ball cricket and the way he is playing in red-ball cricket, he has tasted blood,” Chopra said.
“He enjoys leaving or defending the ball and playing shots is in his DNA. So, bowlers beware, it is not going to be Fab 4 anymore, it will be Fab 5 and Rohit Sharma will be a part of it,” he added.
Rohit struggled as a middle-order batsman in his early Test career, averaging 39.62 between no. 3 and no. 6, but has been a revelation as an opener. He’s tightened his defense and avoided playing risky shots early in his innings.
“I feel there will be just one trajectory of his career from now onwards, he will not look back. The one question that was there about Rohit Sharma, the Test cricketer, this series, and the last six to eight months, Rohit has shown how much he loves this format and he will go to any length to actually become an established Test cricketer,” Chopra mentioned.
“Rohit Sharma has got a new-found love for this type of batting and this relationship is beautiful. I am very impressed that he changed his approach of playing because he was extremely hungry,” he concluded.
