For nearly a decade, cricket fans worldwide admired the legendary 'Fab Four': Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root. These four players were the biggest faces in international cricket, across formats, for almost a decade, bombarding records with great consistency, technique, and leadership. However, as time passes, the once-invicible quartet is now showing signs of fading away, raising questions about the next era of cricketing greats.

The Fab Four In Tests
Test cricket has been the ultimate proving ground for these four marstros. Kohli's dominant captaincy and stroke play, Smith's unorthodox but very effective technique, Williamson's calmness, and Root's classical style make them a force to reckon with. However, with age comes a different team dynamic, slowly nearing the edge of this sheer joy. Though Root and Williamson continue to be key players for their teams, Smith and Kohli have, in more recent years, struggled to provide that consistency.

The Fab Four In ODIs
The Image in below post a noticeable shift - Smith has turned black and white, suggesting that he is no longer capable of using his own skills. While modern-day cricket embraces power-hitting and aggressive strike rates, the dominance of the Fab Four in ODIs has been challenged by rising stars such as Babar Azam and Shubman Gill. While Kohli is still as formidable as ever, his role continues to evolve, while Williamson and Root seem to be throwing in the towel and unable to maintain their high standards in ODIs.

The Fab-four are fading away 😢 pic.twitter.com/4bWDFpsdDP

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) March 5, 2025

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The T20I Scenario of the Fab Four 
If there is one thing to take away from this image of T20 cricket, it is that the influential players of the format—Captain Kohli, Captain Smith, and Captain Root—all have reduced influences on T20. Power hitters and batting with a focus on the strike rate have largely edged out these players. Even though Williamson is hailed as an astute captain, he has not been hitting it big in terms of strike rates. As for Root, he has rarely made an appearance on the T20I stage.

The Future of the Fab Four 
Now as the Fab Four slowly dissolve, they leave behind unanswered questions: who will be winning these winks instead? Enter Babar Azam, Marnus Labuschagne, and Shubman Gill, who are already making their presence felt. But Kohli, Smith, Williamson, and Root will be an impossible feat to replicate. Cricket is in a state of transition.

Although the Fab Four show every sign of no longer being in their prime, their endeavors have forever inscribed them into history. Whether they will have a second innings or leave the scene gracefully will still play out. For now, it is the fans who can only turn back the pages of history and reminisce about the golden age they created.