Virat Kohli To Be Dropped From Tests? India Has 3 Replacements For Star Batter

Debashis Sarangi

Virat Kohli was dismissed cheaply once again in BGT [Source: AP]Virat Kohli was dismissed cheaply once again in BGT [Source: AP]

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India's batting maestro Virat Kohli had another poor outing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as he was dismissed for another low score in the third Test at The Gabba. Coming at number four, Kohli managed only three runs before Hazlewood got his prized scalp in the eighth over. 

Virat Kohli has been struggling with poor form in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, managing only 126 runs across five innings. Apart from a century in the second innings of the Perth Test, the talismanic batter has done nothing significant in this series. 

Virat Kohli's prolonged lean patch has frustrated India in the purest format, as the cricketer has averaged only 31.67 since January 2020. So, if India lose the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to his horrible performance, they might consider dropping him from the Test team after the Australia tour. In such a scenario, here are three top candidates to replace the batter in the Indian batting order. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad

  • Stylish Indian batter Ruturaj Gaikwad could be the front-runner to replace Virat Kohli if India decide to drop the latter from the Test side. 
  • The right-handed batter has impressive numbers in First-Class Cricket, amassing 2533 runs at an average of 41.52. He has hammered seven hundreds and 13 fifties, signifying his remarkable conversion rate. 

B Sai Sudharsan

  • B Sai Sudharsan has been Tamil Nadu's Mr consistent with the bat across formats. The left-handed batter was magnificent in the Duleep Trophy and has grabbed the eyeballs with his exceptional batting performances.
  • In 47 First-Class innings, Sudharsan has struck 1948 runs at an average of 41.44. He has amassed seven centuries and five fifties, showcasing his calibre in the longest format. So, if Virat Kohli is dropped, Sudharsan could be one of the hottest candidates to replace him.  

Devdutt Padikkal

  • Karnataka's young batter Devdutt Padikkal is another option India might look at as Virat Kohli's potential replacement. 
  • In 68 First-Class innings, Padikkal has scored 2702 runs at an average of 41.56. He has slammed seventeen fifties and six tons, bringing consistency and reliability to the table. Although he failed with the bat in the Perth Test, his performance in his first Test series and domestic cricket might keep Padikkal ahead in the race. 

P.S: Ideally, Shubman Gill's natural game suits for the number four batter's role. So, if someone of the aforementioned players replaces Kohli in the team, he will likely bat at three, with Gill being demoted to number four.