Shubman Gill to replace Virat Kohli at No. 4; Pant to bat at No. 5 against England

New Delhi (India) June 19: Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant revealed on Wednesday that Shubman Gill, India's Test captain, will bat at number four in the opening game of the five-Test series against England. The No. 4 place, which was once thought to be untouchable during Kohli's tenure, has been taken by a hitter known for his composure, style, and versatility. 

Throughout India's 2024–25 Test season, Pant, who is also the present vice captain, has batted at number five. Many predicted that Karun Nair would replace Pant as India's number five, moving Pant to number six position. However, the wicketkeeper-batter has put an end to the rumours.

Pant said, “I think there is still discussion going on for no.3. But no. 4 and 5 are fixed. Shubman is going to bat at no.4, and I'm going to stay at no.5 as of now. Rest, we will keep discussing” to the media during a press conference.

In recent years, Gill has replaced Cheteshwar Pujara as India's number three batsman. At the pre-tour news conference, Gill mentioned that they will make a decision once they arrive in England on taking over from Kohli.

Gill has scored three hundreds and 1019 runs in 17 games. The 25-year-old's current duty will be to take Kohli's place at number four. Starting at number four, the Indian star batsman has scored 7564 runs at an average of above 50 in 98 Test matches.

Pant will need to step up as one of the team's senior players during his third Test visit to England. He said, “ It’s a new start for us. Big people have left and there will be a gap but at the same time, there’s an opportunity to build a new culture forward or add to it. We can help the new players to learn and improve in overseas conditions. And we have a lot of care and love for each other in the dressing room.”

The mystery surrounding the No. 3 position is still unsolved. The current front-runners to win the position are Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan. Rahul is anticipated to start as the opener because former captain Rohit Sharma has also announced his retirement from Test cricket.

The opening Test match at Headingley will see England field a very inexperienced bowling lineup without its senior pacers Stuart Broad and James Anderson. Pant stated that while he was relieved to see the famous duo no longer playing for England.

In 2007, India last won in a Test series against England. In the opening series of the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship cycle, Gill is now captaining a team with a new look.

India's squad for England tour includes Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana.

England playing XI for the first Test are Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir.

Aadrika Tayal