India’s ace batter Virat Kohli retired from test cricket on Monday (May 12), leaving the selectors clueless ahead of England’s red-ball tour.

The former Indian captain announced his retirement through an Instagram post, thereby drawing curtains to a stellar 14-year career in the longest format. He conveyed an emotional message to fans that it wasn’t an easy decision, but he felt right to give his best in this format.

With one month left for India’s 5-match test series against England, starting on June 20, the real challenge comes on who could be the ideal replacement for Kohli in the middle order.

Let’s take a look at the top three contenders who could replace Virat at the No.4 spot in test cricket.

1. KL Rahul:

KL Rahul has been one such reliable batter who can perform at any batting position. The 33-year-old can alter his batting style according to the team’s requirements.

Considering the records, the right-handed batter has given his best from the opener’s spot to No.6 as well.

With Kohli’s retirement leaving a big void in India’s inexperienced middle order, KL Rahul appears as the natural choice for that role.

Since Rahul’s test debut in 2014, he amassed 3,257 runs in 101 innings, batting at different positions, and here are the detailed stats:

However, the right-hand batter batted at No.4 only in 2 innings, averaging at 54.00 and a strike rate of 63.15, including his best score of 86. But Rahul’s potential at the fourth position will be tested in the challenging conditions against England.

2. Sarfaraz Khan:

Following a stunning performance in the Ranji Trophy, Sarfaraz Khan earned his maiden test call. He marked a memorable debut against England in the previous year’s home test series, having scored 200 runs in 5 innings at an average of 50.00 and a strike rate of 79.37.

Soon, he made use of the opportunity to secure his spot in test cricket by slamming his maiden century against New Zealand in October 2024. Despite being a part of India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) squad, he was benched throughout the 5-match test series in Australia.

Having played only 6 test matches, the 27-year-old compiled 371 runs, averaging at 37.10 and a strike rate of 74.94. Here is how Sarfaraz delivered his best performance batting at these positions:

Sarfaraz’s outstandinperformance at the No.4 spot is none other than his career best score of 150 against New Zealand. His average of 75.00 and a strike rate of 75.75 make him a strong contender to replace Kohli at this batting position, thereby promising to provide stability to the team’s middle-order line-up.

3. Shreyas Iyer:

Following a solid performance in domestic cricket, Shreyas Iyer earned a national call and was successful in returning to the BCCI central contracts.

Iyer’s recent performance in the Champions Trophy 2025 batting at No.4 ignites hopes for the selectors that he could be a potential candidate to replace Kohli at this spot in tests.

Since his test debut in 2021, Shreyas scored 811 runs at an average of 36.86 and a strike rate of 63.01, batting at these different positions:

Although Shreyas wasn’t at his best when batting at the No.4 spot, the selectors won’t mind giving him another chance to bolster India’s middle-order line-up, given his recent form with the bat. The 30-year-old is currently at the peak of his career and is enjoying a sensational year.

Also, the right-handed batter’s ability to anchor the innings and accelerate when required makes him a perfect contender to replace Kohli.

Final Opinion: Why Not Shubman Gill at No.4 Spot?

With KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan emerging as the top contenders to replace Kohli in the middle order, Shubman Gill is unlikely to be a main contender, having secured his spot at No.3.

Despite fewer contributions from Shreyas Iyer at the fourth position in tests, he might still be considered as an alternative option due to his impressive form in recent times.

Moreover, Gill scored 1893 runs in his test career, out of which 1019 runs were accumulated when he batted at the No.3 spot. In other words, the 25-year-old has batted only at the top three positions since his test debut and is yet to move down the batting order. Perhaps, a move to the No.4 spot might upgrade his test career at the start of the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. At the same time, it would be a risky strategy to experiment with an in-form batter’s batting positions on foreign pitches, particularly in the tough playing conditions against England.