Virat Kohli has been a massive contributor to Indian cricket over the last decade or so. He has been spearheading the batting attack in all three formats of the game. The 34-year-old has dominated the likes of South Africa, England, and Australia in their backyards.
With his courage and passion for the game, Virat Kohli played exceptionally well for the Indian team over the years playing some memorable knocks for the Indian team. He is one of the most stylish batsmen of the modern era in cricket. The Indian batting maestro has shown excellent composure and temperament for the Indian team, especially in the tough chases against high-quality opponents.
Post 2019, Virat Kohli’s form in International Cricket has dipped a bit, as he struggled to get going in all three formats of the games, Here are the five better number three batsman than Virat Kohli at present.
1. Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer has been a crucial player for the Indian team in all three formats of the game in recent times, though injuries have curtailed his career and the KKR Skipper has shown tremendous capability across formats of the game.
The Right-handed batter has got excellent composure and temperament to play the game in every format of the game as phases his innings nicely in both white and red ball formats. With age on his side, The Mumbai-born batter could well be a long-term prospect for Team India in the number three spot. His composure and ability to read the situation can certainly come in handy in the marquee ICC events in the future.
2. Suryakumar Yadav
Mumbai Indians 360-degree batter Suryakumar Yadav has done exceptionally well for the Indian team in the middle and death overs in T20 cricket and the right-handed batter was brilliant for the Indian team in limited-over cricket throughout 2022 and would be a crucial player for the Indian team going into 2024 T20 World Cup.
The 32-year-old produced some scintillating knocks for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2023, playing a pivotal role in the playoffs campaign in the 2023 season. The Right-handed batter has got a game to play in all three formats and if the hard-hitting batter has the backing of the selectors and the Indian team management he can be a perfect replacement for the legendary Virat Kohli in limited over formats.
3. Sai Sudharsan
Sai Sudharsan has been exceptional in domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu in 2022, doing brilliantly in all three formats of the game, and has carried on his form into the cash-rich league this season as he scored 362 runs in the eight matches he played in IPL 2023. The Tamil Nadu opener played an outstanding knock against Chennai Super Kings in the final of IPL 2023 but ended up on the losing side.
The 21-year-old is the most expensive player in the league after being signed by Lyca Kovai Kings for ₹21.6 lakh, which is more than his IPL salary and the southpaw has been continuing his fine form in this edition of the TNPL 2023, playing some important knocks for them in crucial games. He was also named in the squad for the South Zone in Duleep Trophy and the youngster has the potential to replace Virat Kohli in the future in the Indian team.
4. Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar is one of the emerging stars in the country scoring big runs in domestic cricket. The 29-year-old was earlier ruled out of the Indian Premier League due to an Achilles heel injury and has undergone surgery. The Prolific batter is expected to make it into the Indian team in the future.
Rajat Patidar was in fine form before the start of IPL 2023 and he has scored a half-century in each of his last seven first-class games and also had a terrific Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Madhya Pradesh where he scored 272 runs in six games at an average of 54.40. The right-hander played exceptionally well to score 335 runs in eight games, including a century in the Eliminator against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
5. Deepak Hooda
India all-rounder Deepak Hooda had a terrific outing in IPL 2022 which earned him a place in the Indian squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and has impressed everyone with his versatility to bat in different positions in the Indian team, as many believed that a good IPL season 2023, he can break into the ODI World Cup squad as can be vital to team success with both bat and ball.
But in contrast, he had a poor outing with the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023, with his age on his side, he can still make it into the Indian team, as he got tremendous potential to play at the highest level for the Men In Blue. The Rajasthan all-rounder would look to do well in the forthcoming domestic season to make it into the Indian team for the future tournaments.