Virat Kohli’s Test retirement has left a big void in the Indian team ahead of the marquee England tour, slated to start on June 20 in Leeds.
No. 4 batting position in the Indian Test side has been reserved for the team's best batter for nearly three decades. Before Kohli, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar owned that spot as he retired from the traditional format with 15921 runs and 51 centuries to his name.
When Tendulkar retired in 2013, Kohli was given the responsibility to bat at No. 4 and he did his best to fill in the big shoes. The 36-year-old finished his Test career with 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 from 123 matches, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, with the highest score of 254.
Now that Kohli has called time on his Test career, it remains to be seen who will carry the legacy of No. 4 in the Indian line-up.
Meanwhile, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has advised new Test captain Shubman Gill to stick to No. 3 spot and send ‘a positive message’ to the team.
Bangar’s suggestions come in light of reports claiming that Gill could take the No. 4 position vacated after Kohli’s retirement.
“If given a choice, Shubman should continue to bat at number 3 because if he does that, I think he sends a positive message to the entire team that ‘there was a choice for me to get down to number 4 but we all know that in Test cricket, 3 is a slightly more difficult position than number 4’," Bangar said during ‘Follow The Blues – India vs England Test Squad Announcement Special’ on JioHotstar.
“So, he would make a quiet statement there that ‘I am going to go under tough situations, tough circumstances, and do the job’. And if he does that, he can rally others around him as well and demand a lot more of having walked the talk."
Karun Nair has returned to the Test fold after seven years on the back of his stunning exploits in domestic first-class cricket. Young left-hander Sai Sudharsan is expected to be part of India's new-look batting order as well.
Bangar said if Gill continues to bat at No. 3 spot, Nair can come in at two down. “Karun Nair will make a comeback straight away in the team on the sheer basis of the runs he has scored," he said.
“There’s a vacancy in the batting order, and against England, you’d want six specialist batsmen. So, in those six positions, he can certainly find a spot — he could bat at 4 if Shubman is at 3, or even at 6, a number down from Rishabh Pant. He has to be a starter. It’s not about giving younger players a chance first and then bringing in Karun. He will have the first go. If things don’t work well in the first two or three Tests, only then will the team management look beyond him," he added.
Sanjay Bangar also didn’t underestimate India’s chances in England despite having a young team.
“If this group of players manages to win a Test series in England, I think that’s going to be a great start for his [Gill’s] leadership tenure. The calls that have been taken will be vindicated if the tour goes India’s way. I’m pretty hopeful that this will be a series wherein you win a couple of Test matches, and if the other side falters, you might just end up winning the series as well," Bangar remarked.
The five-Test series between India and England is slated to get underway on June 20 at Headingley, followed by matches at Lord's (June 28), Trent Bridge (July 6), The Oval (July 14), and Old Trafford (July 24).
India Squad for England Tests: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
