Chennai: In the next 12 months, Indian cricketers will rake in a significant air miles as they are scheduled to travel to South Africa, New Zealand and England for ODI as well as Test series. The last time India played an away Test was in January 2012 at Perth which culminated in M.S. Dhoni & co's humiliating 0-8 defeat overseas.
The Test series against South Africa in December will usher in a new era as it will be the first time without a mem ber of the 'Fab Four' in the line-up. Now that the man who owned the No.4 spot for more than two decades -scoring 13,492 runs in 275 innings, has walked into the sunset, the rag ing debate is who should play in Sachin Tendulkar's spot?
The current form and his appetite for runs makes Virat Kohli a clear front runner, says G u n d a p p a Viswanath, India's second highest scorer in No.4 spot with 5081 runs in 124 innings.
“I always believe the team's two best batsmen should play at No.3 and 4. They hold the key in any line-up, holding the middle-order together. Cheteshwar Pujara has already established himself at onedown.
“So, Virat should be promoted up the order. His sound technique and ability to score off shortpitched deliveries gives him the edge,“ said Viswanath, one of the eight players in the world to score more than 5000 runs in No.4 spot.
Kohli's maiden Test ton came against Australia at Adelaide in 2012 and the brilliant knock at No. 6 was the lone bright spark in otherwise struggling team. He was promoted to No.5 after the retirement of VVS Laxman and since then he has gone on to score three more hundreds.
Rohit Sharma, Viswanath said, should bat at No.5. “For someone who opens the innings in ODIs, I feel No.6 is a bit down. Though Rohit has just started his Test career, he has the experience of playing more than 100 ODIs. I am quite impressed with the way he batted in the first two Tests,“ added Viswanath.
In a bid to comeback into the Test squad, Virender Sehwag has been batting in the middle-order for Delhi.
Former Indian cricketer turned commentator, Arun Lal, is not convinced with the idea of Sehwag filling in Sachin's shoes. “No doubt, Viru is one of the finest openers, but I doubt whether he will fit in at No.4. For me, Kohli is best suited for that spot. And it's a toss up between Ajinkya Rahane and Yuvraj Singh for No. 5,“ he said.
“Rohit can be a dangerous No. 6 batsman because he had proved that he can guide the lower order and take on the opposition under crunch situations,“ Arun Lal added.
With a relatively inexperienced side, the series against South Africa in bouncy conditions will be an acid test for Team India. Viswanath said he was looking forward to see how India fare. “It's going to be a different ball game. With a lot of overseas series coming up, it's important to start on a positive note against South Africa,“ said Viswanath.
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