Following Rohit Sharma‘s departure from the game’s longest format, star Indian batsman Virat Kohli recently declared his retirement from Test cricket. Notably, India is going through a period of transition as a result of the legends ending their red-ball careers. The legendary No. 4 position, which was previously occupied by Sachin Tendulkar and subsequently by Kohli, is currently empty, and many people are wondering who could fill such enormous shoes. Michael Atherton, the former captain of England, has acknowledged that it’s difficult to think of somebody who might have the same impact on the role as Kohli.
After playing 123 Test matches, the Delhi-born cricketer finished his red-ball career with 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, 30 hundreds, and 31 half-centuries. Virat Kohli, who batted at number four, amassed 7,564 runs at an average of more than 50 in 160 innings. Atherton honoured the great Indian.
“It seems like India will begin to rebuild and reconfigure their team at the beginning of a new World Test Championship cycle. Atherton stated on Sky Sports, “We don’t know who will replace him at No. 4 yet, and you kind of feel sorry for the person who has to follow because you’ve just had about 15 years of Kohli, and before that it was Sachin Tendulkar.”
Who will take Virat Kohli place at number four?
Who will replace Virat Kohli in the middle order as Team India gets ready for the five-Test trip of England? KL Rahul and Shubman Gill are the front-runners for this role, though. Both have adopted middle-order roles after beginning their careers as openers. Since Cheteshwar Pujara’s departure, Gill has been playing at number three, and Rahul has been seen as a versatile option at several batting positions. Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shreyas Iyer are in the pool in case the selectors decide to choose a different face. Iyer is expected to return to the team, despite his reservations about short-pitched bowling.