Virat Kohli has pulled out of the first two Tests against England in the upcoming series. Virat will miss these games due to personal reasons. No.4 is an important slot in the Test batting line-up and Virat Kohli has done very well for India. In the last few months, he has been in terrific form and there were a lot of expectations from him. However, his absence from the squad will be a massive blow for the men in blue. Nevertheless, it is an opportunity for some of the other names to showcase their skills. Here, we take a look at two players who could bat at No.4 instead of Virat Kohli for the first Test against England.
1) KL Rahul
If KS Bharat was going to be the first-choice keeper, KL Rahul would have had to sit out of the playing XI. This is despite his recent century against South Africa. However, with Virat not in the squad, it is sure that KL Rahul will play. And, he could operate at No.4.
KL Rahul has the diverse skills to excel at various slots. He is a talented cricketer who has also hit consistency recently. No.4 role requires the player to hold the batting together and KL can do that for the team.
2) Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer is one of the players who could bat at No.4 instead of Virat Kohli for the first Test against England. In South Africa, it was Iyer who played at No.5. With Virat not there, he would have been the option to move up the batting order.
However, Iyer is more of an attacking Test batter, especially against spin. On the Indian pitches, such players are needed and the best slot could be at No.5. If the team has got a strong start, Shreyas would have more freedom to go after the bowlers.
