‘I pity India's next No.4': Michael Atherton 'not sure who'll take Virat Kohli's place. 15 years of him and Tendulkar'
Atherton said that he "loved" watching Virat Kohli play every day of his 123 Tests and felt it was hard for someone to take their eyes off the India stalwart.
Former England cricketer Michael Atherton pitied the cricketer chosen to bat at No.4 in India Test cricket going ahead after Virat Kohli announced his retirement from the longest format of the game. For the first time in nearly 30 years, India won't have a confirmed No.4 batter in Test cricket. In the past, Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli made that spot their very own. Such was the tenacity and greatness of Tendulkar and Kohli, that the next in line will have the legacy of 25,151 runs and 81 centuries to carry forward.
Atheron said it is not yet confirmed who will bat at No.4 for India in their upcoming five-match Test series in England, but it would be a giant step towards the reshaping of India's Test team.
"It feels as though at the start of a new World Test Championship cycle, this is the moment that India will start to regenerate and reshape their team. We're not sure who is going to take his place at No. 4 yet, and you kind of pity the person who has to follow because you've just had about 15 years of Kohli and before that, it was Sachin Tendulkar," Atherton said on Sky Sports.
Atherton said that he "loved" watching Virat Kohli play every day of his 123 Tests and felt it was hard for someone to take their eyes off the India stalwart when he dazzled on the crease in the red-ball format.
Kohli penned a note on Instagram on Monday to announce his retirement from red-ball cricket, days after his long-time compatriot Rohit Sharma bid adieu to the format.
In a journey that redefined the demands of the game, Kohli scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties and finished as India's fourth-highest run-getter in the format.
"You couldn't take your eyes off Kohli, that's what I always felt like watching him. It was noticeable to me that in his retirement statement, he referenced the challenges that Test cricket had given him. I loved watching him play every day of his 123 Tests. He put his heart and soul into Test cricket, and that energy and passion never seemed to dim," Atherton said.
Who can replace at Virat Kohli at No.4?
It's a direct clash between Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. These are the two cricketers who are guaranteed a spot in India's Test XI after Rohit and Kohli's retirement. Both Rahul and Gill started as openers but have shown their adaptability to bat in the middle-order. Gill, in fact, has been batting at No.3 ever since the selectors decided to phase out Cheteshwar Pujara. Rahul, on the ther hand, has been the solution for all problems in India's batting unit for the last year or so.
If the selectors decide to inject a new face in the middle order, then the choice could be among Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan and Karun Nair. All of them have tasted cricket with different degrees of success. Iyer was dropped because of issues with the short deliveries. Sarfaraz, though, has a lot of success at home; he is untested in overseas conditions. Nair last played for India nine years ago.
