Kohli's absence at No.4 in Tests has left a void in India's batting line-up.
After Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Tests, it took some time for the fans and former cricketers to let the news sink in. However, a burning question awaits the think tank and the selectors. Who will replace Virat Kohli at No.4 in the longest format of the game? It’s a spot India hasn’t had to worry about in decades. Barring a few series in between, Sachin Tendulkar solidified this spot from 1992-2013. Soon after the Master’s retirement in 2013, Kohli took over the reins. Between 2013 to 2025, Kohli played 98 out of India’s 115 Tests while batting at No.4. He scored 7,564 runs at an average of slightly over 50. But who will take over next? Cheteshwar Pujara opines.
The Saurashtra batter feels India may need some time to adjust the batting line-up without Kohli. He feels the team may need to test with some batters to understand who works the best at this spot.
Pujara told ESPNcricinfo, “We will need a couple of series to figure out who is well suited to bat at No. 4, because it’s an important position. You need your best batter to bat at No. 4. And at this time, I think it’s still a spot where the team management will have to figure out who is the most suited player at No. 4.”
He also feels that a lot of players have entered the squad, but no player has solidified his position like Kohli or Tendulkar. Ajinkya Rahane is next on the list, having played at No.4 nine times. Coincidentally, Pujara is also one of the batters who stepped out at three down in seven Tests between 2015 and 2023.
When Kohli missed the 2024 home series against England, India used four players at number four: KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar (in two games), and Devdutt Padikkal.
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With both Rohit Sharma and Kohli retired, the BCCI is likely to appoint Shubman Gill as the next captain. Pujara spoke on Gill’s ideal position at bat, which further leaves a void at Kohli’s former position.
Pujara feels, He [Gill] is an option [for No.4], definitely. But he has been batting at No.3. Does he want to shift his spot? Does he want to bat at No. 4? We’ll have to see. Shubman is someone who is more capable of playing the new balls. He has been opening the innings earlier, before he started batting at No. 3. He prefers to bat when the ball is slightly hard and new. Will he be able to manage with the old ball? That is a big question at this stage. Since he has batted well with the new ball, I would still say that he should be batting in [the] top three, which is his ideal position, which suits him well.”
In the 32 Tests played by Gill so far, he has batted only in the top three positions. Handing him captaincy plus changing his position for the all-important England tour, may make a mess.
Overall, Pujara feels India may have to mix and match to check which player performs well during the five-match Test series in England starting on June 20.
He concluded, “If he [Gill] bats at No. 4 in England and if he can be successful at that position, then, yes, he can be a No. 4 for the Indian team.”
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