Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket has left the No. 4 slot in the Indian batting department vacant. The obvious question now is: who will take over the sacred spot which Kohli held with much aplomb?Cheteshwar Pujara, a long-time teammate of Kohli and a Test veteran, weighed in on the issue.”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 ESPNcricinfo.
“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.”The No. 4 spot in the Indian team has always been held by great batters. Before Kohli, legendary Sachin Tendulkar used to helm the No. 4 slot. Kohli batted at the No. 4 spot 99 times since Tendulkar’s retirement. Ajinkya Rahane played at the spot nine times.In the last home Test series against England in early 2024, which Kohli missed, India tried out four batters – KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar (in two Tests), and Devdutt Padikkal – but never really settled.Pujara, who batted at the No. 4 spot for seven Tests between 2015 and 2023, said India must “take some time” before settling on a batter. “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.”India’s post-Kohli and Rohit Sharma era – the latter also announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this month – will begin on June 20, when India kick off their five-match Test series against England. The series will also mark the beginning of the new ICC World Test Championship cycle.”It is 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.Shubman Gill, who is the favourite to be named India’s next Test captain, can fit into the position, said Pujara.”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.”