"He isn't a part of 'Fab 4', he is beyond them" - Aakash Chopra on Joe Root after 5th IND vs ENG 2022 Test

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has heaped praise on England star Joe Root for his unbelievable run of form over the past few months.

The 31-year-old proved once again why he is arguably the best Test batter currently by smashing an unbeaten hundred at Edgbaston against India. His incredible 142-run knock helped England complete a record-breaking chase.

Root has simply been sensational with the bat, as in the past year and a half, he has already scored a staggering 11 Test hundreds in that period.

Prior to this recent run, the former England captain was often criticized for his inconsistency. Root was also deemed to not be good enough to be a part of the "Fab 4" that consists of himself, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, and Kane Williamson.

However, speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra claimed that Root is in a league of his own and that there's daylight between him and the rest. He said:

"Joe Root has scored more than 10,000 Test runs and 25% of that have come in last two years. When Steve Smith and Virat Kohli were on 27 Test hundreds, Root was on 15-16. Now they are still on 27 and Root has raced to 28 hundreds."

Chopra continued:

"We used to feel he isn't a part of the 'Fab 4' and I still feel so, because now he is beyond them. The audacity to hit Trent Boult and Shardul Thakur for reverse sweeps shows that he has all the shots."

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Aakash Chopra on Jonny Bairstow's rise

Joe Root won the Player of the Series award for the five-match battle against India after scoring 737 runs. But it was Jonny Bairstow who was the most impactful player in the fifth Test.

The 32-year-old smashed hundreds in both innings and won the Player of the Match award. Bairstow has already scored an incredible six Test hundreds in 2022 and is in the form of his life.

Aakash Chopra feels the new "Bazball" brand of attacking cricket put in place by new England coach Brendon McCullum has helped Bairstow find his mojo. He stated:

"Jonny Bairstow has also been scoring runs for fun. It seems like the liberation given by Brendon McCullum is helping him get the best out of himself."

England are surely set for exciting times ahead if they continue to play this style of cricket with success in the longest format.