Of course, Kohli is still a legend, and he may regain his form, but India needs to start nurturing a young player for taking over the No. 4 slot.
Virat Kohli has been one of the best batters at No. 4 in Test cricket for years. However, his performances of late have raised concerns, with him averaging in the low 30s since 2020.
Kohli’s average in Tests in 2024 was just 24.5, with just 417 runs in 19 innings. He scored only one century in 2024 which came at Perth after he walked in with the top 3 laying down a strong foundation, and apart from that, Kohli hasn’t been able to score big.
Quick bowlers have now exploited his weakness on deliveries outside off-stump by getting him out time and again.
Of course, Kohli is still a legend, and he may regain his form, but India needs to start nurturing a young player for taking over the No. 4 slot.
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In this article we will take a look at the 4 youngsters that can replace Virat Kohli at No.4 in Tests.
Rajat Patidar has been one of the best performers in domestic cricket. He played three Tests for India during the England series in 2024 when Virat Kohli wasn’t part of the team. Patidar batted at No. 4 in that series but couldn’t make a big impact and hasn’t been selected for India since.
However, his domestic record in first-class cricket is impressive, with 4636 runs at an average of 43.32. These numbers show that he deserves another chance. If he gets the opportunity to play for India again, he should be tried at No. 4.
Sai Sudharsan, the young left-handed batsman, is another who can be developed for the No. 4 slot in Tests. For Tamil Nadu, Sai opens the batting now, but he has earlier played at No. 4 or 5 in his career. During his county stint with Surrey, he even batted at No. 6, proving that he is versatile enough to fit into different slots in the batting order.
Sai has been in excellent form in first-class cricket, scoring 1948 runs at an average of 41.44. If India nurtures him at No. 4, he could become a great talent, adding a left-hander to the lineup, which would bring variety to the batting order.
Sarfaraz Khan has been one of the best players in domestic cricket as he boasts an avg of 65.61 in first class cricket, scoring runs consistently at a very high average. For India he has played only 6 tests so far and has mostly batted at No. 5, but his hunger for runs and ability to play big innings make him a good option to move up to No. 4.
Sarfaraz performs well under pressure and has the mindset needed for Test cricket. He is good at turning small starts into big scores and has been good against pace and spin, which makes him a strong choice to take over Kohli’s spot at No. 4. While there have been questions raised on his ability to handle the short ball and eagerness against spin, the mountain of runs in domestic cricket means that he deserves a fair shot.
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Dhruv Jurel is a young and talented batter who has done well in domestic cricket as well as for India. He has played only four Tests for India, where he averages over 40, and in domestic cricket, he has an impressive average of 45+. Jurel has mostly batted in the lower middle order for India, but his calmness and ability to adapt make him a good option to move up to No. 4. In the warm-up game in Australia, he was India’s most impressive batter and it’s a travesty that he did not get to play more Tests on the tour.
He has proved that he can take pressure and play some crucial innings for his team. If guided correctly, Jurel can do a No. 4 job well, as he can become a reliable batter who can rebuild the innings or accelerate when needed.
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