Credit: BCCI
India are set to tour England for a five-match Test series starting on June 20. However, the Men in Blue will miss the services of former captain Rohit Sharma who recently announced his retirement from the longest format of the game. Just a few days after Rohit's retirement, Virat Kohli has also called off Test career via Instagram post on May 12.
Now, India will miss the services of both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the upcoming five-match Test series in England starting on June 20. Now, the BCCI will be looking to find a suitable batsman, who can bat at number four in Tests in place of Virat Kohli. In the following listicle, we will have a look at the top three players who are likely to replace Virat Kohli at number four in Tests.
Here are three potential players who could replace Virat Kohli at number 4 in Tests
1. Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer turned out to be a reliable batter for India in the ODI format in the last two years. However, it will be a different challenge to bat at number four in the longest format. Iyer has good records in 14 Test matches he played in his career so far at an average of 36.86 and also scored a hundred in his debut Test. Iyer could be a reliable pick at number four if Virat Kohli retires from Test cricket.
2. Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar could be another good choice to become India’s new number four batter in Tests cricket if Virat Kohli retires before the England tour. The right-handed batsman has played three Test matches for India where he scored just 63 runs. However, he had an impressive outing in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy for Madhya Pradesh where he amassed in seven matches at an average of 48.09 with one hundred and two fifties.
3. Karun Nair
Karun Nair can make his return in the Indian team and could be a good replacement for Virat Kohli at number four. He had a memorable season in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 where he amassed 863 runs in nine matches at an average of 53.93 hitting four hundreds and two fifties. Apart from that, he also has a record of smashing a Test triple hundred for India. Looking at his current form in red-ball cricket, Karun Nair could make his return in the Indian Test team after eight years and can also replace Virat Kohli at number if the 36-year-old retires.
