• Source:JND
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Former head coach of the India national cricket team Ravi Shastri is confident that India's talisman batter Virat Kohli and Australia star Steve Smith will stage a strong comeback in the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Despite currently trailing Joe Root and Kane Williamson in the Fab Four rankings, Shastri believes that Kohli and Smith will be fueled by a desire to reclaim their top spots, driving them to deliver outstanding performances in the upcoming matches.

Joe Root and Kane Williamson are in the form of their lives in 2024. Root has smashed six Test centuries this year, while Williamson has four. On the other hand, Kohli and Smith are not performing as well; they have scored only one Test hundred each, and both have come in the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

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Shastri attributes the temporary decline of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith in the Fab Four rankings to their inconsistent performances and the rise of talented newcomers like Harry Brook. 

"I think they (Kohli and Smith) will have slipped down the ranks on current form because you know you've got the likes of Root taking off, there's Williamson doing well, Harry Brook has come onto the scene, you know there are a lot of other young players pushing but these are class players," Shastri said on the most recent episode of The ICC Review.

"In a situation like this, you know they'll be dangerous because they'll be hungry."

For Shastri, Test cricket necessitates patience and mental toughness. He cited Steve Smith as an eminent case in point. Smith's early stats were modest this year, but when his team needed him most, he continued to persevere and bounced back.

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"What’s needed you saw from Smith. It might have been a struggle early on but he was prepared to play the waiting game and be disciplined,” Shastri noted.

In this very aspect, Ravi Shastri finds the toughness of the top players as the most important reason for them to become dangerous in unfavourable conditions.

"I think the same with Virat. If Virat gets over that first 30, 40 minutes, with serious application and discipline, I don’t think he's (out of form), none of these guys are out of form," Shastri added.