"You kind of pity the person...": Michael Atherton hails Virat Kohli but warns India about No.4 crisis
Published - 15 May 2025, 01:39 PM
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India’s Test team is staring at one of its biggest transitions in history. For nearly 30 years, the No. 4 spot belonged to two of the game’s greatest icons, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Together, they built a legacy of 25,151 runs and 81 centuries in the No. 4 position in Tests.
But now, for the first time in decades, the Indian Test team’s most crucial No. 4 position is wide open, and nobody knows who will take over after Kohli's sudden retirement from the longest format of the game. His call shocked the world and left an irreplaceable hole in India’s red-ball setup.
Michael Atherton wants to know who will carry forward Virat Kohli-Sachin Tendulkar's legacy in Tests
With the new ICC World Test Championship cycle starting and a high-stakes five-match Test series in England just around the corner, India faces a huge challenge to find a dependable No. 4 batter, as they have also recently lost Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format too.
Reacting to the conundrum, former England captain Michael Atherton pointed out how the next man up will have to carry the weight of two legends, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, at the No. 4 batting position in India’s Test line-up.
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With Tendulkar and Kohli dominating that role for decades, Atherton reckoned that the expectations would be sky-high for the replacement.
You couldn't take your eyes off Virat Kohli: Michael Atherton
Michael Atherton was quoted as saying by Sky Sports, “It feels as though at the start of a new World Test Championship cycle, this is the moment that India will start to regenerate and reshape their team. We're not sure who is going to take his place at No. 4 yet, and you kind of pity the person who has to follow because you've just had about 15 years of Kohli, and before that, it was Sachin Tendulkar.”
Atherton also shared how he enjoyed Kohli’s passion for 123 Tests. The Englishman noted that Kohli’s presence, energy, and charisma made every inning unmissable.
He signed off by saying, “You couldn't take your eyes off Kohli; that's what I always felt like watching him. It was noticeable to me that in his retirement statement, he referenced the challenges that Test cricket had given him. I loved watching him play every day of his 123 Tests. He put his heart and soul into Test cricket, and that energy and passion never seemed to dim.”
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India’s Test hopes now rest on Shubman Gill and KL Rahul
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s retirement from the format, the spotlight now shifts to Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, who are expected to anchor India’s new-look Test batting lineup. Both Gill and Rahul began their red-ball careers as openers but have proven they can handle the pressure of middle-order roles as well in the traditional format of the game.
Gill has already made the No. 3 position his own after Cheteshwar Pujara was sidelined, while Rahul has become India’s go-to batter in tough situations, slotting in wherever the team needs him, whether as an opener or in the middle.
However, the selectors can bring in Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, and Karun Nair into the mix to shape the next generation of India’s Test batting core.
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Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ... Read more
