New Delhi: 

After Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli provided incredible stability for India at no.4 in Tests throughout his career. With Kohli drawing curtains on his illustrious 14-year-long Test career earlier this week, India have huge shoes to fill at no.4 in the longest format.

India will be searching for a new reliable no.4 batter in their upcoming tour of England, which gets underway next month.

Who are the other contenders to bat at no.4 for India in Tests?

Apart from Rahul, Gill and Nair, India can also give a Test recall to Shreyas Iyer to bat him at number four in the Test series against England. Iyer has been in fine form across red-ball and white-ball cricket over the last year and has worked on his weakness against the short ball. Sai Sudharsan is also a strong contender for the no.4 slot, considering his textbook style of batting and strong technique.

India can also promote Rishabh Pant up the order and ask him to bat at number four, considering he is one of India’s best batters in Test cricket at present.

Nair enjoyed a magnificent run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, where he ended up smashing a whopping 779 runs and averaging 389.50 for Vidarbha to finish as the highest run-getter of the tournament. Nair also displayed in form in the Ranji Trophy where he amassed 863 in nine matches at an average of 53.93.

“Karun deserves to come back into the Indian team with the kind of domestic run he has had. So perhaps he could be the No. 4 for India because I feel you need a bit of experience. You need someone in England who has been there and done that.

He has played county cricket, so he knows the conditions. Karun may be on the other side of 30, but he is still young. If he gets an opportunity, there will be a lot more hope for youngsters to play first-class cricket. If the sheer performance in domestic cricket doesn’t get recognised, it becomes a bit of a challenge,” Karun said on ESPNCricinfo.

India will be playing a five-match Test series with a new-look side as they will be without two of their senior-most players – Kohli and former captain Rohit Sharma, who both retired from Test cricket inside a week. The team management and head coach Gautam Gambhir will have their task out as they have to pick India’s next no.4 in the tricky England series.

India have several contenders for the position which is considered one of the toughest in Test cricket and is usually given to the best batter in the team. Before Kohli, it was Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who ruled at no.4 for India for years and scored plethora of runs while batting at the challenging position. In the current Indian setup, the likes of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul are the favourites to be given the no.4 role.

However, legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble has suggested Karun Nair as the solution to India’s no.4 problem after Kohli’s departure. The former India head coach believes the in-form batter, who impressed in the domestic circuit this season, can come good at no.4 in the England series. Kumble also believes Nair has the kind of experience required to bat at no.4 in English conditions.

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