It’s the news that worried India fans the moment Virat Kohli announced in August that, come January 2021, his family would be three. And now, it’s been confirmed that the talismanic India captain and batsman will miss the last three Tests of the four-match series Down Under on paternity leave.

Kohli will be absent for the traditional Boxing Day Test, starting December 26 in Melbourne, the New Year’s Test in Sydney, starting January 7, and the finale at the Gabba. It’ll be a huge loss, more so considering Kohli’s immense success down under; in 2011/12, he was India’s only centurion in the 0-4 drubbing, in 2014/15, he scored four hundreds in the series – only the second Indian to do so after Sunil Gavaskar – and then in 2018/19, he became the first India captain to win a series in Australia.

The effects of Kohli’s absence on captaincy is a topic for another day. Here we look at India’s batting line-up, and the players in the squad who could, potentially, fill the sizeable void that will be left by the captain. Kohli being the No.2 ranked Test batsman in ICC rankings means filling his shoes isn’t going to be easy on anyone given the task.

But India do have a hugely talented squad, and it’s in moments like this that future stars emerge. That in mind, we look at the players likely to take up the No.4 role in Kohli’s absence.

Ajinkya Rahane

The dashing wicketkeeper-batsman has been under some scrutiny recently, due to his form in the IPL, his fitness, and the fact that the selectors decided to leave him out of the limited-overs squad for the series in Australia. That makes his presence in the Test squad, alongside Wriddhiman Saha, all the more intriguing – does they see him as a better batsman as Saha? Why leave him out of the limited-overs teams then?

Pant, if he does score runs in the manner he did on his last Test tour of Australia, when he scored a century in Sydney, would be a game-changer at four, should the management go that way. He needs a few good outings to keep his place in the side, and if those runs come in the position the team captain would have otherwise occupied, it’s even better. It would be an intriguing, if adventurous, move.

Other options: With Rohit Sharma being called into the Test squad, having originally missed out on selection across formats due to a hamstring injury, chances are that he could feature at four. However, his success as a red-ball opener against South Africa last year means he will more likely be persisted with at the top of the order, a position from where he can be devastating.

Note: This article has been updated to reflect confirmation that Virat Kohli is set to miss three Tests in Australia on paternity leave.