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Pujara Unsure Whether Shubman Gill Should Be Kohli’s Successor At No.4
Follow UsMany feel Shubman Gill is destined to be Kohli’s successor at No.4, but Cheteshwar Pujara is not quite sure whether No.4 is Gill’s best position in the lineup
After 14 years and 123 Tests, Virat Kohli, on May 12 (Monday), called it quits from Test cricket, bringing to an end one of the most decorated careers the format has witnessed.
The timing of Kohli’s retirement has both short and long-term implications as the 36-year-old stepping away means that India will have to find a No.4 not just for the five-Test series against England next month, but also for the future. This, really, is the first hunt for No.4 India have had to do in three decades, with Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli shielding that spot up till now.
Many feel Shubman Gill is destined to be Kohli’s successor at No.4, but Cheteshwar Pujara is not quite sure whether No.4 is Gill’s best position in the lineup.
"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,” Pujara told ESPNCricinfo.
"Since he has batted well with the new ball, I would still say that he should be batting in [the] top three, which is his ideal position, which suits him well.”
But Pujara believes that Gill can certainly take over the No.4 position if he succeeds there in the England tour.
"If he bats at No. 4 in England and if he can be successful at that position, then, yes, he can be a No. 4 for the Indian team,” Pujara said.
The veteran Indian batter believes that it’s up to the management to ‘figure out’ the next long-term No.4.
"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," he said.
"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."
As of this moment, Gill is rumoured to not just take the No.4 spot from Kohli, but also become the next captain of the Indian Test team.