If Kohli doesn’t go for the England tour, India must find quick alternatives.
Virat Kohli has expressed his wish to retire from Test cricket immediately in a major development. This is a big decision by Kohli, who has been a key member of the middle order in the longest format.
If Kohli doesn’t go for the England tour, India must find quick alternatives who can bat in the middle order and fill those big shoes. Assuming Sai Sudharsan will open or bat at No.3 in Rohit Sharma’s absence, India must look for more batters who can enter the XI in England.
Along the same lines, we look at four players who can replace Virat Kohli in Test cricket.
Dhruv Jurel might be India’s best choice to replace Virat Kohli in the XI. He is among the finest young talents in the country and technically sound, which will be a key in England.
Further, Jurel has already played a few Tests and showed how good he can be under pressure. Remember those partnerships in precarious situations against England in the home series last year?
He has 202 runs at an average of 40.40 in six innings, including a fifty, in his short Test career. If Kohli is unavailable, India must opt for a long-term option, and Jurel will be a perfect fit.
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Sarfaraz Khan is among the biggest run-accumulators in domestic cricket, scoring runs almost every time. That also opened the door for India, and he has done well in the initial phase of his Test career.
However, the selectors are wary of his faulty technique against the moving ball, which can be an issue in England. He is a beast against spinners, but has his issues against speedsters.
Still, Sarfaraz is a run-scorer, and this might be the time to give him a permanent spot. How he performs in England will clarify whether to proceed with him.
Another talented player, Nitish Kumar Reddy, has all the skills to succeed in the longest format and replace Virat Kohli. Nitish showed his expertise numerous times by bailing his team out of dangerous situations on the Australia tour.
He has 298 runs at an average of 37.25 in nine Test innings, including a century. He mostly batted in the lower order in Australia but can be promoted if Kohli decides not to continue.
Nitish is more skilled than Sarfaraz, giving more stability to the middle order. His game against pace and moving ball is high-class, and he will only improve from here.
Devdutt Padikkal is another option to replace Virat Kohli in the middle order. He has 90 runs at an average of 30 in three outings, including a fifty.
He has a good technique and a decent skill set to score runs in England. The deck won’t be notoriously hard this time, giving Padikkal a chance to succeed.
He gives the LHB option in the middle, and his pace game has improved massively, as visible in IPL 2025. Padikkal might not be the priority, but he can be a decent option to bat in the middle order in arduous conditions.
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