The absence of captain Rohit Sharma and batter Shubman Gill has thrown open a challenge for the Indian team management ahead of the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. India don’t just need to find another opener to bat alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal but also a No. 3 batter to replace the injured Gill. While the names of KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal have been reported for the two spots, India’s 1983 World Cup-winning star Kirti Azad feels head coach Gautam Gambhir should play Virat Kohli at the No. 3 spot.

Kohli has batted at the No. 3 spot across the three formats for India during the course of his illustrious career. However, he has made the No. 4 spot his own for a while now. But, with Gill absent, Azad feels Kohli is the batter best suited for the one-down position.

“I think Kohli is the best bet for number three. He has scored runs at number three (across all formats). And you should always have your best batter at number three. We start with questioning players if they don’t do well, maybe in a series or maybe a couple of innings,” Kirti Azad told Times of India.

With the likes of Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, and a few other options available, the fact that Azad is advocating Kohli’s name for the No. 3 spot, especially considering his form, is unexpected.

“But I suppose he has done a humane service for the country, and we expect him to do well again. And I’m sure he’ll get into form. He likes challenges, though this is a tough one in Australia,” he added.

Kohli’s form is a big challenge for the Indian team at present. He didn’t even cross the 100-run mark cumulatively in 6 innings against New Zealand. The talismanic batter has scored only one half-century in his last 10 innings in the longest format of the game.

However, the experts are hopeful of seeing the Virat Kohli of old as India begin the Australian adventure with the first match of the 5-Test series in Perth.