The first Test between India and Sri Lanka will be a landmark moment for the former skipper Virat Kohli. It will be his 100th Test for the national team. Rohit Sharma is the new skipper in red-ball cricket, and the national selectors have dropped Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, and Wriddhiman Saha from the two-match series.
Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, and Hanuma Vihari are in contention to replace Pujara, who has been India’s No.3 for a long time.
However, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has suggested that Virat should bat at the number 3 spot. He claims the number three position is for the best batter in the team. Kohli has been batting at number 4 in Tests for the national team for almost a decade now.
“Kohli should bat at No.3 because the best batters you see…Ricky Ponting batted at 3. Joe Root bats at No.4, but I feel he will be batting at No.3 in West Indies. So the best player on the team is batting at No.3. He can tackle the new ball in case of a quick fall of a wicket. He has the ability to up the tempo. So Virat at three would be ideal,’ said Gavaskar on India Today.
If not the 34-year old, the renowned cricketer-turned-commentator took Vihari’s name for the role. “Otherwise, you can look at Hanuma Vihari, who has done well in South Africa,” he concluded.