Cheteshwar Pujara rejects Shubman Gill as India's new No.4 post-Virat Kohli's Test exit

The veteran India National Cricket Team batsman Cheteshwar Pujara is not in favor of the young batting sensation Shubman Gill being the new No.4 of the Indian Test team.

Cheteshwar Pujara reckons that Shubman Gill should continue to bat in the top three for the Indian Test team as he is more capable of facing the new ball.

India on the lookout for a new No.4

Virat Kohli's recent retirement from Test cricket has forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to go on the lookout for a new No.4 batter, who can serve India for a long time.

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This is a new problem that the Indian team management and the selectors will face, as over the past few decades, things have been quite settled with Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli batting at No.4.

Since the God of Cricket retired, Virat Kohli batted at the No.4 position in 99 out of 115 Tests that India played, while Ajinkya Rahane batted at that spot nine times and Cheteshwar Pujara seven times.

In the England tour of India 2024, Virat Kohli pulled out of the five-match series due to the birth of his child, and in his absence, India used four batters at the No.4 spot.

We will need a couple of series to figure out who is well suited to bat at No. 4 - Cheteshwar Pujara

It will be a headache for the selectors and coaches to finalize a new No.4, who can serve Indian cricket for a long time, and Cheteshwar Pujara has offered some assistance to them.

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Cheteshwar Pujara said that the Indian team management should take time and see players batting at the No.4 spot in a couple of series before making the final call.

"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. 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," he stated.

"There are a lot of players who are making their way into the playing XI, but no one has a secured spot at this stage. It's a process which will take some time. It's still early days to make a call, but it will be important to see who performs well in England because someone who can perform well in England can have that No. 4 spot," Pujara said.

Shubman is someone who is more capable of playing the new balls - Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara was further asked if Shubman Gill, who is likely to become the new India Test captain, can move down to No.4 from No.3 in the Test playing XI.

Replying to this, Cheteshwar Pujara said that the right-handed batsman is an option, but he is more effective with the new ball and should bat in the top three. However, Pujara added that Gill can be named a permanent No.4 if he bats at that position in England Tests and performs well. He elaborated:

"He [Gill] is an option, definitely. But he has been batting at No. 3. Does he want to shift his spot? Does he want to bat at No. 4? We'll have to see.

"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."

"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. 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."

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