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Who Will Replace Virat Kohli At 4? Anil Kumble Makes His Pick
Follow UsThe former Indian Test skipper picked Karun Nair to replace Virat Kohli at number four in the Test side
Virat Kohli stunned the Indian cricket world by announcing his retirement from Test cricket on May 12. That leaves the number four spot in the batting order empty, and with India getting ready for a five-Test series in England after the Indian Premier League (IPL) season gets over, that position needs to be filled quite quickly.
Former Indian Test skipper and leading Test wicket-taker Anil Kumble weighed in on the issue and picked Karun Nair as the right candidate to take the spot vacated by Kohli. Notably, Nair has had a stellar season with the bat in the domestic circuit across formats. He aggregated 863 runs in nine Ranji Trophy matches with four centuries and was key in Vidarbha winning the title.
“I don’t think anybody thought through who’s gonna bat at No.4. Rohit (Sharma) in Australia didn’t play the first Test, so there was a change in the batting order,” Kumble said on ESPNCricinfo.
“Once (KL) 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.
“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.”
Kumble added that Nair’s selection would motivate the domestic players to keep working on their game. If selected in the Test team again, it would be a spectacular comeback for Nair as he would be making his way back to the Indian side after eight years, last featuring in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2017.
“If he gets an opportunity, there will be a lot more hope for youngsters to play first-class cricket,” Kumble added.
“If the sheer performance in domestic cricket doesn’t get recognised, it becomes a bit of a challenge.”