When the great Sachin Tendulkar retired from Test cricket, India already had an able replacement in Virat Kohli. Rahul Dravid's retirement too did not create much of a void as Cheteshwar Pujara fit in at number three seamlessly. Ajinkya Rahane put his hand up in style to take the place of VVS Laxman and India's Test team transition was as smooth as it could be.
Now that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired right before India's tour to England, "transition" is again the keyword. And this time, it might not be as seamless as it was the last time. To be fair, it might get ugly this time around.
The question that looms large on every Indian cricket fan's mind is that who will be India's next number four in Test matches and who will open the innings now that Rohit and Virat will no longer don the whites.
There are no straightforward choices like the team had earlier. Even though the domestic scene keeps brimming with talent, there are no tried and tested replacements that you could just fit in without a second thought.
Who will replace Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma?
Rohit Sharma's retirement will most likely pave way for KL Rahul to become the permanent opener in Test cricket. He has plenty of experience and has done decently on overseas tour with his patience and judgement of off-stump standing out. However, despite some brilliant innings all around the world, he has not yet ruled a series like great batters like Virat, Pujara and Rohit used to do at their best. Rahul's home record is also below average and that puts him in a tricky position but there will be no doubt that he will open the innings for Indian Test side for some time now.
A maiden red ball call-up for Sai Sudharsan too looks a definite possibility and India might be tempted to give him his debut Test cap in England. Sudharsan's technique and temperament have both stood out during his three-year Indian Premier League stint with Gujarat Titans. The 21-year-old also has County cricket experience to strengthen his bid for a top order slot.
Shubman Gill has both opened the innings and played at number three but at both positions he has not been able to score consistently. After 32 Tests, the 25-year-old just averages 35. With Rahul set to open, Gill might continue at one down or there is a chance that he takes Virat Kohli's place with Sudharsan batting at three. Gill has the ability to score consistently as his ODI record shows. He can also patiently weave an innings and counter attack when needed. Combine this with his inability to handle new ball threat and at this point, Gill batting at four seems to be the best option for both him and the team.
Shreyas Iyer has radically changed his white ball game. From being an anchor, he has turned into an absolute basher who can just not be tamed by any type of bowling. The short ball weakness is a thing of past and he is looking at his best now. India can try to replace Kohli with Iyer both as a batter and perhaps as a captain in the long run but has he altered his technique too much to do well in Test cricket? This remains a big question in front of the management but a call-up is definitely around for Iyer, who has already played 14 Tests.
Dhruv Jurel, Karun Nair, Washington Sundar and Sarfaraz Khan are the other contenders who could take up a middle order slot. Sarfaraz has played some fantastic innings at home but the management does not seem convinced about his ability to play overseas. Jurel's problem is he could be typecast as a wicket-keeper batter and thus looked up only as a substitute for Rishabh Pant. However, Jurel has shown solid technique against both spin and pace whenever he has been given a chance. Washington Sundar too is a techincally correct player who can easily play as a batting all-rounder. But like Jurel, he will also be seen as a replacement of R Ashwin and perhaps would only be played in the lower order.
Karun Nair lit up the domestic scene with exceptional performances for Vidarbha. Some good outings for India A might put him back in the reckoning for an India spot. Remember, he still remains the only Indian apart from Virender Sehwag to have a Test triple-century to his name. Another out of the box choice is pushing Nitish Kumar Reddy up at number four. The all-rounder showed he had the technique to play good bowling and the temperament to bat long in difficult conditions in Australia. India will definitely look at him as a middle order option.
