With the debate around who would be the next India captain after Rohit Sharma's retirement reportedly having reached its end, with Shubman Gill emerging as the likely replacement, a bigger challenge awaits the selection committee and team management of now finding who would fill the big shoes of Virat Kohli at No. 4.
India do have a plethora of options to choose from, with a few experts having backed KL Rahul for the job, while others reckoned the experienced Karun Nair, who had a fabulous Ranji season, could replace Kohli at No. 4 in the Test XI.
However, former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer backed Gill for the role, as he felt Rahul should not be removed from the opening position after having proven his worth in the tour of Australia, and hence had a brand-new suggestion for the No. 3 spot.
"I guess Shubman could be the guy. He opens in white-ball cricket, but in Test cricket, he needs to move down to 4. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have done well as openers in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. I feel KL should continue to open. Why change something that is not broken? Sai Sudharsan looks assured, and he should be given a longer rope at No. 3," Jaffer told The Times of India.
Will Gill be shifted to No. 4?
The 25-year-old has only recently shown some stability at No. 3, having scored three centuries in the last 15 months. However, all those knocks came on home soil. A forgettable tour of Australia also had Gill as one of its victims, with the series exposing his vulnerability in a foreign land. He averages just 19 in 12 innings with no half-century score away from home. Not to forget, he also did not have a memorable time in England, where he struggled against the new ball, scoring just 88 runs in three matches, albeit as an opener.
{{/usCountry}}The 25-year-old has only recently shown some stability at No. 3, having scored three centuries in the last 15 months. However, all those knocks came on home soil. A forgettable tour of Australia also had Gill as one of its victims, with the series exposing his vulnerability in a foreign land. He averages just 19 in 12 innings with no half-century score away from home. Not to forget, he also did not have a memorable time in England, where he struggled against the new ball, scoring just 88 runs in three matches, albeit as an opener.
{{/usCountry}}While it is yet to be seen if the think tank will make that decision, Sudharsan could be a definitive choice in the lineup. The left-hander does have the experience of playing in the English conditions, having performed impressively in the last County Championship, where he scored a century for Surrey batting at No. 6. He also scored a double century for Tamil Nadu in the previous Ranji Trophy season.