New Zealand batter Kane Williamson just announced his retirement from international cricket, and one half of this generation’s Fab 4 is already gone from the Tests. India great Virat Kohli parted ways with the longest format last year, with 9,230 runs in 123 matches, while the Kiwi ended with 9,515 runs in 110 matches. Now, England’s Joe Root and Australia’s Steve Smith are what remain in this club, and let us just take the liberty to say, among this fab 4, the race to the best is between the Englishman & the Aussie only, with Williamson & Kohli securing 3rd and the 4th place, respectively.
| Batter | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Smith | 123 | 10,763 | 56.05 | 37 |
| Joe Root | 164 | 13,952 | 50.73 | 41 |
| Kane Williamson | 110 | 9,515 | 54.06 | 33 |
| Virat Kohli | 123 | 9,230 | 46.85 | 30 |
Before one jumps to conclusions, and starts debating about the greatness of Kohli and Williamson, just hold your horses. These two are/were mighty good players — Kohli the best white-ball player ever, and Williamson the best NZ batter ever in all regards, but this is about their longevity as compared to Root & Smith, the overall fitness, the tough Test runs scored, and just the appetite to keep going. And this is perhaps where all the difference is made among them.
The ‘Test’ of averages — Steve Smith & Joe Root far ahead
Quite simply, the Test average presents a true story. The Indian in his longish career averaged 46.85, Williamson 54.06, Root is 50.73, and Smith at 56.05. It is pretty self-explanatory, as to why Kohli stands at no. 4, due to lower average, but the Kiwi stands at third, despite a better average, since he just didn’t prolong his career, despite being only 35.
| Batter | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Smith | 59 | 4,564 | 50.15 | 14 |
| Joe Root | 75 | 6,489 | 51.50 | 23 |
| Kane Williamson | 32 | 3,025 | 58.17 | 11 |
| Virat Kohli | 46 | 2,617 | 35.36 | 5 |
Going further statistically, one gets to see a clearer picture. Ever since the advent of the World Test Championship, Root is by far the most successful batter — in the last 7 years. In 75 matches, he has a whopping 6,489 runs at an average of 51.50, scoring 23 tons and 22 fifties. In the same period, Smith is the second-best batter with 4,564 runs in 59 encounters at an average of 50.15, scoring 14 centuries and 20 fifties.
Williamson, again much better that these two gentlemen average-wise, but just stays behind due to a shorter career; scored 3,025 runs in 32 matches at an average of 58.17, with 11 tons and 7 fifties. That also shows how injury-prone he was in these 7 years. In 2021-22 he suffered a chronic elbow injury that kept him away, followed by right knee ACL tear and a thumb fracture in 2023. Meanwhile, Kohli, again, the worst among the lot, scoring 2,617 runs in 46 at a paltry average of 35.36 — with 5 tons and 11 fifties.
ENG & NZ remain unconquered for Virat Kohli, three others for Kane Williamson
Also, the greatness lies in, how well these players performed on foreign soil, wherever they played. And surprise, surprise, the no. 3 and the no. 4 batters in this Fab 4 haven’t been the best. In 66 away matches Kohli scored 4,774 runs at an average of 41.51, while scoring 16 tons and 18 fifties. He was quite good, in fact, brilliant in Australia & South Africa, but could not ace England and New Zealand. Down Under, he scored 1,542 runs in 18 encounter at an average of 46.72 — scoring 7 tons and 4 fifties. In SA, he scored 891 runs in 9 matches at an average of 49.50, while in England all he could manage was 1,096 runs in 17, at an average of 33.21.
| Batters | Avg in ENG | Avg in IND | Avg in SA | Avg in PAK | Avg in SL | Avg in WI | Avg in NZ | Avg in AUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith | 54.27 | 50.31 | 41.10 | 56.50 | 67.00 | 68.33 | 52.16 | 59.56 |
| Root | 54.76 | 45.42 | 50.21 | 47.70 | 65.50 | 51.50 | 50.30 | 38.00 |
| Kohli | 33.21 | 55.58 | 49.50 | — | 43.77 | 44.00 | 36.00 | 46.72 |
| Kane | 28.00 | 33.53 | 21.16 | 138.50 | 29.54 | 51.33 | 65.76 | 42.84 |
Who can forget his struggles of the 2014 England tour, where he got 134 runs in 10 innings — average of 13.4. Then, lastly New Zealand fetched 252 runs in 4 encounters at an average of 36. Coming to the Ex-NZ captain — though he was largely excellent in most nations, but England, South Africa and Sri Lanka too, remained unconquered.
Surprisingly, even on great Indian batting wickets, Williamson was below-average, as compared to some of the other top Test batters. In 9 matches in England, only 476 runs came his way with 132 as his best. Against the Proteas in their own backyard, he could never go beyond 77 in an innings and scored 127 runs in 4 matches. The Island nation presented other spin difficulties, where he scored 325 in 6 matches; India, he managed 503 in 8 games at an average of 33.53.
There’s a reason why it’s only Smith vs Root
Whether you like it or not, the best batter of this generation will be between Smith or Root. Period. The two have scored runs everywhere, and no challenge is too big for them. Perhaps the most difficult thing for a great batter is to score Test runs away from home, where the conditions are against you, and the oppositions have done home-work on your weaknesses; and that is what these two greats have aced.
Let us understand with the example of Root. The 35-year-old, before the last Ashes series 2025-26, had never scored a ton in Australia. But despite all the pressure, he scored two in 5 matches — hitting 400 runs in all. That is the kind of mentality that takes a player above greatness. Now in AUS he averages 38.00, in IND 45.42, in NZ 50.30, in PAK 47.70, in SA 50.21, in SL 65.50, and in WI 51.50.
As for Smith, the man averaged 60 for close to 7-8 years, but a bad couple of years have brought his average down to 56. Still, he is a mighty good batsman to have in all the conditions. In ENG, he averages 54.27, in IND 50.31, in NZ 52.16, in PAK 56.50, in SA 41.10, in SL 67.00, and in the WI — 68.33.
Despite all this, one can have reservations about, who is the greatest among the greats, but the fact of the matter remains, numbers don’t lie. It is sort of an unwritten rule, to be a Test wonder batter, you need to attain at least 10k runs, and an average upwards of 50. Kohli did not cross both these hurdles, while Williamson failed in one. Now, again, it is a race between Smith and Root.
Cricket
With Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson already out, Joe Root & Steve Smith there to win Fab Four Race
