With the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) done and dusted, the focus has shifted to the upcoming India tour of Australia which starts from November 27. The Men in Blues play three ODIs followed by the same number of T20Is. The tour will culminate with a four-match Test series as a part of the ICC World Test Championship.
Meanwhile, the million-dollar question of Indian team management is who will replace Virat Kohli for the last three Tests. Incidentally, Team India skipper will return to India midway to the tour as he and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting the birth of their first child. Kohli sought paternity leave which was approved by the BCCI and thus; will not feature in the last three games of the tour which will cost the Australian broadcasters in millions.
In this article, we will try to look at 5 options who can replace Virat Kohli at No.4 in the last three matches against Australia:
Hanuma Vihari
New into the Indian side, Hanuma Vihari has already claimed a stake in the Indian Test side with his gritty and determined batting. He was a pivotal member of the squad which won the Test series against Australia in 2018-19 – first-ever in history.
He accumulated 111 runs in the three matches he featured; however, his 60-ball stay opening the innings against a top-class attack was the highlight of his strong determination. Vihari has gone strength from strength and also scored a fighting half-century in Hagley Oval against New Zealand earlier this year.
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The batsman from Hyderabad will be the best option to replace Virat Kohli at No.4 considering he has the mentality to bat for long hours and score big runs. He along with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane will make a formidable middle-order.
