Top 3 Indian batters who could fill the No. 4 spot in Test cricket

India’s Test cricket team is set to face a major overhaul in the batting department after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s retirement. While there are a lot of contenders for the opening slot, it is the number four position that is set to be hotly contested. Virat Kohli had taken over the much-wanted spot post the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar in 2013. 

Kohli has batted 160 times in the number four spot out of the 210 innings he has batted in Test cricket. The former India skipper had scored 7564 runs with 21 centuries and 12 fifties with an average of 50. The 36-year-old had started his career batting lower down the order but was always looked at as the best candidate for the coveted spot. 

With Kohli now having hung up his boots from the Test format, Indian cricket team management will need a dependable batter to take over the spot. Number four in Test cricket is not only reserved for the best batter in the side but also for a player who can take charge of the match situations. 

Here are the top 3 Indian batters who can takeover the number four spot in Test cricket

3- Karun Nair

India’s veteran batter Karun Nair has been in good batting form in domestic cricket. Nair can bat at the number four spot in the batting order in the coming tour of England. The 33-year-old is an effective batter against the new ball with his ability to play pace well. Karun Nair is also a very good player of spin and can score runs all over the wicket with conventional sweeps and reverse sweeps. 

2- Shubman Gill 

Young batting sensation and the top contender for the captaincy, Shubman Gill can be an ideal number four in Test cricket. Gill began his Test career as an opener and then was slotted in at number three to replace Cheteshwar Pujara post the 2023 WTC finals. Gill has always been spoken about as the next number four batter in the Test format. The 25-year-old has the knack of batting for long and can set up or save the game based on the match situation. 

1- KL Rahul 

The best choice to replace Virat Kohli for the number four spot in Test cricket is none other than KL Rahul. The 33-year-old is one of the few remaining batters who has a considerable amount of experience playing in the longest format. Rahul has shown over the years that he can be flexible as far as his batting position is concerned. Kohli’s exit also means that Rahul can finally find a permanent batting spot and guide India through the transition period.