‘Talking about a man who got almost 9,000 runs’ – Sunil Gavaskar on Gambhir, Rohit choosing Rishabh Pant over Virat Kohli for No. 4

Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: X(Twitter and BCCI)

It’s not every day that one sees ace Indian batter, Virat Kohli, be displaced from his favoured number 4 position in Test cricket. Kohli has made the number 4 position his own over the years, with the entire side revolving around his dynamic strokeplay in the longest format of the game.

However, circumstances were such that led the Indian team’s management, fuelled by head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma to tinker with the batting order during Day 4 of the second Test between India and Bangladesh played at the Green Park in Kanpur. With a couple of days already lost due to a wet outfield, Bangladesh were 107/3 at the start of the fourth day. All five of the Indian bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, helped clean up Bangladesh for a score of 233 in the second session of the day.

With crucial World Test Championship points at stake, the Indian openers went all out right from the outset. Their aim was clear – to get a substantial lead in as little time as possible to declare and have a shot at skittling Bangladesh to possibly emerge victorious by innings or chase a target as minimal as there could be.

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India were off to a flyer with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sharma going hammer and tongs, bringing up the fastest-ever team fifty as well as hundred in the history of Test cricket. Jaiswal was all set to smash his way to a stellar ton but was dismissed at a team score of 127 in the 15th over. While the entire stadium and Indian supporters viewing the match on their television sets were expecting Kohli to arrive at the crease, it was Rishabh Pant who was sent ahead of him, prompting former India legend, Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating for JioCinema, to be perplexed at that particular decision.

“You are talking about a man who got almost 9,000 runs in Test cricket batting at No. 4,”  Gavaskar.

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Murali Karthik, who was on the panel as well, suggested that India wanted the left-hand-right-hand combination to persist, therefore going ahead with Pant instead of Kohli.

Past instances where left-handers have been promoted to No. 4 instead of Kohli

The wicketkeeper-batter was not the first player to feature at number 4 instead of Kohli. Pant, meanwhile, could not step on the gas as he was dismissed for just nine after dragging a wide delivery outside off stump straight to long-on to grant Shakib Al Hasan his second wicket of the match.

Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Ishan Kishan are the other batters who have been sent in ahead of Kohli at two-down in Tests in the past.