"He has played county cricket in England": Anil Kumble picks India's next number four after Virat Kohli's Test retirement

Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble has backed Karun Nair to be India's new number four batter in Test cricket. The 54-year-old felt that the right-handed batter deserved a chance based on his exploits in domestic cricket last season.

Kumble also felt that Nair's experience of having played county cricket in England could be useful for India in the five-match Test series against England, starting on June 20.

"Karun (Nair) probably deserves to come back into the Indian team with the kind of domestic run he has had. So perhaps he could be that number four for India.

"You need a bit of experience. You need somebody, especially in England, who's been there and done that. He has played county cricket in England, so he knows the conditions. I am sure he'll be someone who will be wanting to part of the line-up," Kumble told ESPN Cricinfo.

The former India leg-spinner emphasized the need to give importance to domestic performances. He also urged others not to mix formats and reward performers in first-class cricket to keep the newer crop of players motivated.

"There are youngsters too. Sai Sudharsan, again, whether he'll open. (Abhimanyu) Easwawan, he was part of the Australia squad, I don't know whether he'll come back into this team because what we tend to also do is mix formats.

"I hope the general public who are watching and there is so much of social media exchanges today that people don't mix ODI cricket with Test match cricket or first-class cricket. People who have done well at the first-class level should certainly be given an opportunity to play for India.

"Karun (Nair) maybe on the other side of 30, but with the kind of scores that he has had in the domestic format, if someone like him gets an opportunity then there will be a lot more hope for youngsters to play those domestic formats," Kumble added.

Karun Nair enjoyed dream run with the bat in 2024-25 domestic season

Anil Kumble's suggestion to pick Karun Nair as the new number four in Test cricket is backed by the numbers the batter produced during the 2024-25 domestic season. Nair made 863 runs in nine Ranji Trophy matches for Vidarbha, which played a key role in his side winning the title.

Nair last played for India in a Test match against Australia in Dharamsala in 2017. He is only one of two Indians, along with Virender Sehwag, to score a triple century in Test cricket.