Tests vs Aust: With Kohli’s absence, India have a big hole to fill

New Delhi, Nov 20 : Once skipper Virat Kohli returns home after the first Test to be with wife Anushka Sharma who is due for delivery, India will have a big hole to fill at No.4 in the next three matches of the series.
While it is too early to guess his replacement as the series is well over a month away, the main concern ahead of the Test series, that begins on December 17, as of now is how India balance their batting in his absence.
One option looks to be KL Rahul taking that spot in the middle, sandwiched between Cheteshwar Pujara (No.3) and Ajinkya Rahane (No.4), and Rohit Sharma opening the batting with Mayank Agarwal.
The other option could be Rohit Sharma coming in at No.4 and Rahul, who amassed 670 runs in the Indian Premier League for Kings XI Punjab at the top, opening the innings.
The young options India have in their squad to replace Kohli are Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw, but whether they will be asked to occupy the pivotal position in the middle remains to be seen.
India are unlikely to throw youngsters Gill or Shaw at the deep end. It is not just because they are youngsters but also because they are coming off an average IPL and could be low on confidence.