Alyssa Healy, Australia's wicketkeeper-batter, recently stirred controversy by placing Virat Kohli at the bottom of the 'Fab Four' – a group consisting of modern batting greats Joe Root, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Kohli.
The Fab Four has long been discussed as the group dominating world cricket, representing the best of the batting world over the last decade.
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Why did Alyssa Healy rank Virat Kohli fourth?
On the ‘LiSTNR Sport’ podcast, Healy revealed her reasoning behind ranking Kohli fourth, focusing on a purely statistical analysis.
Kohli’s impressive career achievements don’t go unnoticed by Healy, who even ranked him as the best in many other aspects, but for the sake of numbers alone, Healy placed him last in the Fab Four.
"They're all very great. But if I'm purely basing it on numbers, I'm going to put Kohli as fourth. But I actually rate him as No. 1 in everything else. But if you're basing it on numbers, Kohli is going to sit fourth for me. I'm looking at it analytically," Healy said.
How does Alyssa Healy justify Kane Williamson’s top spot?
Healy’s choice to crown Kane Williamson as the best in the Fab Four came down to the New Zealand captain’s role within his team.
According to Healy, Williamson has carried the weight of the entire New Zealand batting lineup, often being the key figure in the team's successes.
"Williamson has carried the whole New Zealand team, whereas, for Virat, he is the greatest player in the world, let's be real. But with him, it's like someone else is always there. Rohit Sharma can score hundreds," Healy said further.
"KL Rahul can score a 100. Even [Ravindra] Jadeja can score a 100 at No. 8. He has always got someone else, but I feel that if Williamson doesn't make those runs, New Zealand don't get anywhere near winning," she added.
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