The Indian test team received a major blow before the start of the all-important tour of England, as former captain Virat Kohli informed the BCCI about his plans to retire from the oldest format.
This article talks about three players who can replace Virat Kohli in the Indian test team.
3 Players Who Can Replace Virat Kohli In India’s Test Team
1. Shreyas Iyer
India’s middle-order batter in ODIs, Shreyas Iyer, is one of the players who can fulfill the role of batting at number four, as the right-hander is technically sound and has the experience of playing in England.
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Shreyas has a decent record in test cricket, including a century in his debut game against New Zealand in 2021, and was a part of the team that toured England for a one-off test in 2022.
Other than that, Iyer has been in magnificent form since making a return to the Indian setup in 2025 and scored crucial runs for the team in the ODI series against England, followed by the Champions Trophy.
Iyer, who last played a test for India in 2024, has scored 811 runs in 14 matches, including one hundred and five fifties.
2. Karun Nair
Karun Nair, who scored a truckload of runs in the 2024-25 domestic season, has been on the selectors’ radar following his match-winning performances and is expected to be the frontrunner to replace Kohli.
Having said that, Nair wasn’t able to make the most of the opportunities he got during the now-suspended IPL and only managed to score one half-century in his comeback match against MI.
The right-hander, who is one of the two Indian players to score a triple century, last played for Indian in 2017, was a part of the squad for the 2018 tour of England under Virat Kohli’s captaincy.
3. Devdutt Padikkal
The left-handed batter from Karnataka, Devdutt Padikkal, burst on the scene following a stellar domestic season in 2019 and was immediately picked up by RCB for the 2020 IPL edition.
Padikka delivered with the bat in two consecutive seasons for Bengaluru and was rewarded with a maiden international call-up in 2021 for the tour of Sri Lanka.
Dedutt Padikkal managed to score only 29 runs in the two matches that he featured in, but was in and around the national setup for the next couple of years and kept grinding out in domestic cricket.
The left-hander’s patience paid off as he was added to the test squad midway through the series against England in February last year.
Padikkal repaid the faith shown in him by the selectors and played a crucial innings in the fifth and final test in Dharmsala.
Padikkal, who has been a consistent part of the team since his debut, would be in contention to replace Virat Kohli after showing what he is capable of in the limited chances he has had so far in India’s test team.
Also Read: BCCI issues official statement on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement
