Shubman Gill to Bat at No.4 in Headingley Test, Confirms Rishabh Pant.
India’s Test team is set to embark on a new chapter as Rishabh Pant confirmed that Shubman Gill will take up the No.4 spot in the batting order for the first Test against England at Headingley, starting June 20. Gill’s promotion comes as the team begins life after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from red-ball cricket.
Gill, who previously opened and later moved to No.3 following Cheteshwar Pujara’s exit from the side, will now inherit the crucial No.4 position — a spot long occupied by Kohli. The former captain scored over 7,500 runs at an average above 50 in that role.
Ahead of the team’s departure for England, Pant addressed the media and provided clarity on the middle order. “There’s still a discussion about who’ll bat at No.3, but No.4 and No.5 are fixed,” said Pant. “Shubman will bat at No.4 and I’ll continue at No.5 for now.”
Gill’s shift to No.4 highlights the trust placed in him as a long-term mainstay of India’s Test setup. Since moving to No.3 in 2023 after the WTC final, the 25-year-old has scored 1,019 runs in 17 Tests, including three centuries. Now, he steps into a role that has historically defined India’s batting success.
As the team prepares for a challenging tour of England, the reshuffled lineup marks a significant transition phase — with younger players expected to take on greater responsibility in the post-Kohli-Rohit era.
Comments are closed.