Top 5 Indian batsmen who came in at No. 4 in Test cricket

In Test matches, the player who comes in at No. 4 occupies one of the most important positions. The openers lay the foundation, but it is usually the No. 4 who is tasked with preserving wickets and scoring the bulk of the runs. If a couple of wickets fall early, he has to bring all his defensive expertise into play. Some situations might demand attacking play from him and, more often than not, the best No. 4 batsmen can do both without much trouble.

India has produced some of the finest batsmen in the world. Here is a look at five of the very best to have batted in this position over the years.

#5 Vijay Hazare

He might have played in only 30 Test matches over a period of six years, but Vijay Hazare is one of India's truly great batsmen. He batted at No. 4 in 35 out of his 52 Test innings and scored 5 100s (overall 7) along with 7 half-centuries (overall 9), at an outstanding average of 54.10.

One of Hazare's biggest attributes was that he delivered when the Indian team had their backs against the wall. The 145 he scored in Adelaide against Australia in 1948 is a case in point.

Hazare also briefly held the record for the highest Test score by an Indian when he scored 164* against England in Mumbai in 1951.

#4 Dilip Vengsarkar

One of the best batsmen in the 1980s

One of India's most accomplished batsmen, he is also one of the best No. 4 players to have ever represented the country in Test cricket. A superb technician who was comfortable against both fast bowling and spin, Vengsarkar had an excellent defensive technique. He was an equally good stroke player and one of his favourite shots was the off-drive against the faster bowlers.

At No. 4, he averaged 48.24 and scored 7 out of his 17 100s in that position. His highest score of 166 on a minefield of a track was scored at No. 4, as was one of his three centuries at Lord's.

#3 Gundappa Vishwanath

Viswanath was at home in the No. 4 spot

Over the course of a Test career that lasted around 14 years and 91 Test matches, Gundappa Vishwanath made the No. 4 position in the Indian batting order his own. Vishwanath is one of India's greatest stroke players, with the ability to take on the best fast bowlers in the world.

One of his best innings was the 97* that he scored against an Andy Roberts-led West Indies at Chennai in 1975. He went on the attack when he saw India losing wickets and eventually ran out of partners, but his innings helped India win the Test match. He averaged 43.05 at No. 4 with a career average of 41.93.

#2 Virat Kohli

The Indian skipper is one of India's greatest No. 4 batsmen

The current Indian captain has played in 60 Test matches so far, and his batting exploits have already placed him among the best batsmen that India has ever produced. For the majority of his career, he has batted at No. 4. 13 of his 17 Test 100s have been scored in that position, and he averages 55.71 at No. 4, as opposed to his career average of 49.55.

Kohli started batting at this position after Tendulkar's retirement, and in his very first Test in that position, he scored 119 and 96 against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2013.

Kohli is, without doubt, one of the best batsmen in the world at the moment.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar: India's greatest batsman

The greatest batsman in the history of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has certainly been the most effective No. 4 for India in Tests. Out of his record 200 matches, he batted at No. 4 in 179 of them. After his debut in 1989, Tendulkar batted at No. 4 for the first time during the Australian tour in 1991-92, and in his very second outing in the position, he scored an unforgettable 114 at Perth. He was only 19 years old at the time.

Out of his 51 Test centuries, 44 of them were scored at No. 4 at an average of 54.47. For 21 years, Tendulkar was the batsman around whom Indian batting revolved, and it is unlikely that anyone will ever better him.