"He can be a like-for-like replacement of Virat Kohli" - Matthew Hayden says star batter should play at No. 4 in ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has opined that KL Rahul should bat at No. 4 in India's upcoming Test series against England. He noted that the Karnataka batter is the ideal replacement for the retired Virat Kohli at that position.

India will face England in a five-match Test series, with the first game starting in Leeds on June 20. Rahul will likely partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order in the series opener.

During a discussion on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan,' Hayden acknowledged that Rahul will most certainly open for India in the first Test, but reckoned that the stylish batter should replace Kohli at No. 4.

"I have just got one other issue here as well. KL Rahul, he will open. I am just going to make that call. My problem with that is I believe he is your best player in Test match cricket. He can be a like-for-like replacement of Virat Kohli, absolutely custom-made at No. 4," he said.

The former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player pointed out that Rahul tends to nick deliveries to get caught behind the wickets.

"The reason why I don't like him as an opening batter, and we saw this in Australia as well, he gets out 57% of the time caught behind, nicked off. So he looks so technically sound, how amazing is it, and then suddenly he is out," Hayden observed.

KL Rahul aggregated 276 runs at an average of 30.67 in 10 innings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. He scored 235 runs, including two half-centuries, in the first three Tests, but managed only 41 runs in his last four innings.

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"That bit of protection around your best player, KL Rahul, is a sure thing in English conditions" - Matthew Hayden

KL Rahul has batted only twice at No. 4 in Tests. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Matthew Hayden noted that KL Rahul needs to be protected against the new ball in English conditions.

"For me, that bit of protection around your best player, KL Rahul, is a sure thing in English conditions, and maybe the best place to bat in England as well. When the damage is done with the new ball, you can come in and you can just set out your stalls," he said.

While observing that England could be the toughest or easiest place to bat, the cricketer-turned-commentator added that he would make Rahul bat at No. 4 if he had the choice.

"It can be the hardest place to bat, and then it can be the easiest place to bat in the world as well when the sun is out and it's shining, and you are just there going 'Hello, I am batting all day here.' To me, that's the key point of difference. It's not going to happen. I don't believe, but if I were a selector, that's what would happen," Hayden elaborated.

KL Rahul has scored 108 runs at an average of 54.00 in two Test innings at No. 4. The right-handed batter has aggregated 2803 runs at an average of 35.03 in 83 Test innings as an opener.