Need two-three series to identify Kohli’s replacement, says Pujara as India begin to look towards the future.
Pujara feels India ‘need a couple of series’ to figure out Kohli’s replacement.
India is immediately faced with the question of who would be their future No. 4 after Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket. And according to Cheteshwar Pujara, it’s a question that might take some time to answer.
India hasn’t had to deal with this problem in more than ten years. Since Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, they have played 115 Test matches, and Kohli batted at number four in 99 of them. Ajinkya Rahane, who has made nine appearances at number four, comes next. India utilised up to four batters at two-down in the final series that Kohli missed completely, the home Tests against England in early 2024: KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar (in two Tests), and Devdutt Padikkal.
“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,” Pujara told. “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.”
A five-match visit of England in June will serve as India’s first task as they begin life after Kohli and Rohit Sharma. This tour will also mark the beginning of the next ICC World Test Championship cycle.
“There are a lot of players who are making their way into the playing XI, no one has a secured spot at this stage. It’s a process which will take some time.”
“It’s still early days to make a call, but it will be important to see who performs well in England because someone who can perform well in England can have that No. 4 spot,” Pujara said.
Could Shubman Gill – who is also in line to take over the Test captaincy following Rohit’s retirement – be an option? “He [Gill] is an option, definitely. But he has been batting at No. 3,” he said. “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.”