Team India was dealt a major blow on January 22 (Monday) when superstar batter Virat Kohli opted out of the first two Test matches against England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Kohli withdrew from the two Tests due to personal reasons. In the release, the Indian cricket board also confirmed that Kohli's replacement would be announced soon. The Test series between India and England is scheduled to get underway on January 25.
While filling Kohli's shoes is a gigantic task, let's take a look at two players who are the front-runners to take the former India captain's place in the squad.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has been out of India's Test squad since the 2023 World Test Championship final as a string of poor performances forced the selectors to drop the 35-year-old. After getting dropped, Pujara has continued to show his class in domestic competitions, be it playing for Sussex in County Division 2 or excelling for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy.
In the latest, Pujara demonstrated his batting expertise and achieved an impressive half-century against Vidarbha and crossed the 20,000 first-class run milestone. He became only the 4th batter in Indian cricket history to reach the milestone.
Previously, in a match against Jharkhand, Pujara exhibited his relentless pursuit of runs, scoring his 17th double-century in first-class cricket. His unbeaten knock of 243 off 356 balls was instrumental in Saurashtra's commanding declaration at 578/4, establishing a substantial lead over Jharkhand's 142 in the first innings. Pujara's performance, marked by his deft handling of spinners and precision in shot execution, included 30 boundaries, underscoring his skill with the bat.
The recent double century in the Ranji Trophy not only accounted for Pujara's eighth in the tournament but also his 17th in first-class cricket, aligning him with cricket legends like Herbert Sutcliffe and Mark Ramprakash. Only the iconic Don Bradman, Wally Haymond, and Patsy Hendren have more double centuries than him in this format.
With Kohli opting out, the selectors and captain Rohit Sharma might be tempted to hand another opportunity to Pujara.
Rajat Patidar
Another batter who is in contention to replace Kohli is Rajat Patidar. The 30-year-old stylish right-handed batter gave an excellent account of his potential in red-ball cricket when he bailed out India A side during the recently-concluded 1st unofficial Test against the England Lions.
When the team found themselves in a precarious situation at 95/7, following a batting collapse, especially after England Lions set a formidable score of 553/8, Patidar dug his side out of a deep hole with a stunning century. He completed his hundred in just 94 balls by playing terrific counter-attacking cricket under tremendous pressure. He went on to score 151 runs off just 158 balls with the help of 19 fours and five sixes.
In an earlier tour match against the England Lions, Patidar scored 111 runs while opening the innings for India A.
Patidar also boasts a ton of experience in First-Class cricket. He has scored 4,000 runs in 55 matches at an average of 45.97 with the help of 22 half-centuries and 12 hundreds.
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