Former England pacer Stuart Broad has picked two Indian batting stars, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, for his next generation of Fab-Four of batters in world cricket. He accompanied them with New Zealand
all-rounder Rachin Ravindra and England white-ball captain Harry Brook.
The late Martin Crowe, a New Zealand legend, coined the term Fab-Four in 2014, picking Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith as the four batters who’d dominate Test cricket. He couldn’t have been more right, as the quad was among the best performers not only in Tests but also in other formats.
Among them, Smith has retired from ODIs, and Kohli has ended his ODI and T20I careers, whereas Root and Williamson rarely feature in T20Is. But they are still considered their respective countries’ best batters and among all-time greats, with several trophies and records to their names.
“I think Shubman Gill has got to be there in that conversation,” Broad said on the ‘For The Love Of Cricket’ podcast. “I think Jaiswal he’s got huge talent and the ability to take the game away. There’s a lad called Lhuan-dre Pretorius from South Africa, I watched him in the SA20. He strikes it like a young Graeme Smith, hits in unusual areas but clean. Dewald Brevis has got a lot of talent. Harry Brook is in that conversation; he’s penned in. I think Gill’s penned in. Ravindra from New Zealand, I think. So Brook, Ravindra, Gill, and Jaiswal,” he added.
His podcast partner and England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler agreed.
“Gill, especially after the summer he had in England, and Jaiswal, I’d agree with that. That is a strong Fab Four,” Buttler said.
Gill has already been appointed as India’s Test captain and had a record-breaking series in England. Brook also shone there, but he’s making bigger strides in the white-ball formats.
Ravindra is a mainstay for New Zealand across formats and is also considered a future captain. Jaiswal is India’s first choice Test opener but hasn’t gotten enough opportunities in the other two formats yet.
