3 Players who can replace Virat Kohli in India's Test team

Virat Kohli shocked the cricket fraternity by announcing his retirement from Test cricket on Monday, May 12. He posted his decision on Instagram to hang his boots from the longest format of the game. The announcement comes five weeks ahead of India's five-match Test tour of England.

While it is going to be next to impossible to match up to Kohli's standards, India would want to find a reliable batter who can score important runs in the crucial middle-order position. The Test series against England will mark the beginning of the 2025-2027 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. After failing to reach the finals in the previous edition, the Asian giants would hope for a strong start in the United Kingdom.

While many candidates are waiting to break into the Indian team, CricTracker looks at three players who could fit the bill not just for the England tour but beyond it.

3 Players who can replace Virat Kohli in India's Test team

3. Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan made his much-awaited Test debut against England in February 2024 in Rajkot. He scored half-centuries in both innings of the Test match. Later in the year, he smashed his maiden century against New Zealand in Bengaluru in the second innings of the Test match. This was after he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings.

The Mumbai batter has been in the Indian Test squad, but opportunities have been few and far between. Sarfaraz was in India's squad for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. However, he didn't get a game. The 27-year-old is an excellent player of spin. Meanwhile, he isn't afraid to play the ramp shots and upper-cuts against the seamers. Sarfaraz likes to take the attack to the bowlers and put them under pressure. This approach is very much suitable in modern-day cricket and is proving to be rewarding for many cricketers.