'Karun Nair should get Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli's No.4 spot in India's Test XI': Anil Kumble to selectors
Now that Kohli has retired, who is next for India to carry the legacy of No.4 forward? Legendary India cricketer Anil Kumble believes it can be Karun Nair.
No.4 is not just another batting position in Indian cricket. It has unofficially been reserved for the team's best batter for nearly three decades. And as astonishing as it may sound, during this long period, India have had only two confirmed No.4 batters - Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Before Tendulkar, India had long-term No.4s in GR Viswanath and Dilip Vengsarkar. When Tendulkar retired in 2013, the place automatically went to Kohli, who had the weight of 15921 runs and 51 centuries to carry. With 9230 runs and 30 centuries, one would have to admit, Kohli didn't fare badly. But now that he has retired, who is next for India to carry the legacy of No.4 forward? Legendary India cricketer Anil Kumble believes it can be Karun Nair.
Karun Nair may not come close to Tendulkar and Kohli's Test numbers as at 33, he simply doesn't have that time at his disposal but with the kind of form he has shown in the last domestic season, he surely can do a good job for the next two World Test Championships (WTC) cycles. Kumble Nair's experience in red-ball cricket and his exposure in county cricket would come in handy now that India would not have Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in their XI for the Test series against England that starts on June 20.
"I don't think anybody thought through who's gonna bat at No.4. Rohit in Australia didn't play the first Test, so there was a change in the batting order. Once Rahul did well, Rohit dropped down the order and then he dropped himself from the XI in that last Test. So you sort of know who is the backup opener for India, but I don't think anyone thought through No.4," Kumble told ESPNCricinfo.
"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 ned 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," the former India captain and head coach added.
Nair has been on a run-scoring spree in domestic cricket. After a record run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he scored 779 runs in nine games at 389.50, comprising five centuries, he carried his momentum into red-ball cricket, where he scored 860 runs at 57.33, comprising four centuries, including a match-winning knock of 135 and 85 in the final in Vidarbha's title win.
Nair, who is no stranger to facing England - it was against them that he became only the second Indian to smash a triple century in Test cricket- is well aware that he is ever-so-close to making a comeback to the Test side. "At least I think I'm closer (Test return) rather than further. I don't know how close I am. It's at the back of the mind," he said.
Who can be Karun Nair's competitors for No.4 slot?
If not Karun Nair, India have the option of putting ma for all occasions, KL Rahul at No.4. Then there are the less likely prospects of trying Shreyas Iyer or Sarfaraz Khan at that position but considering their track record, it might not be a long-term prospect. If India do decide to play either Rahul or Shubman Gill at No.4 then they would nave try out a new player at the top of the order and Tamil Nadu batter Sai Sudharsan has put his hand up for that spot.
"There are youngsters like Sai Sudharsan. What you tend to do is mix formats. General public watching and social media exchanges, I hope people don't mix one-day cricket or T20 cricket with Test matches. People who have done well in first-class cricket should certainly be given the opportunity to play for India. And I'm sure he selectors, when they sit down, will start looking at the future," Kumble said.
