Déjà vu as India working out of time to finalise No. 4 spot forward of ODI World Cup

Indian cricket has washed up on a well-known shore amidst a tumultuous build-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which begins on October 5.  

The lead-up to the earlier version of the match in 2019 and the subsequent marketing campaign was engulfed with the talk round India’s No. 4 spot. Four years later, the ire and frustration across the unresolved subject appears to have solely grown as the group’s ICC title drought extends into its tenth 12 months. 

The acuteness of the predicament is abundantly borne by captain Rohit Sharma’s admission final week, “No. 4 has been an issue for us for a long time. After Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), nobody has come and settled themselves in. But, for a long period of time, Shreyas (Iyer) has actually batted at No. 4 and he has done well — his numbers are really good.”  

Injuries to key gamers have had a justifiable share in including to India’s middle-order morass. In reality, the highest three run-scorers for the Men in Blue on the No. 4 spot on this World Cup cycle are racing towards time to be match for the quadrennial showpiece.  

* Samson, Kohli, Washington, Hardik and Axar have batted simply as soon as at No. 4 on this World Cup cycle

Shreyas Iyer, probably the most prolific, with 805 runs in 20 innings at a median of 47.35, is recovering from again surgical procedure and hasn’t performed since March. The enigmatic Rishabh Pant, second on the listing, was discovering his ft within the 50-over format earlier than a horrific automobile crash dominated him out for a minimum of a 12 months. KL Rahul, who averages 63.00 in 4 innings at No. 4, is additionally on the street to restoration after injuring his thigh in the course of the Indian Premier League.  

Eight others have been tried at that place for the reason that 2019 World Cup semifinal defeat, with Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav being given the longest rope amongst them (six matches).  

A microcosm of India’s desperation of discovering an appropriate No. 4 was the lately concluded three-match sequence towards West Indies. Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Sanju Samson performed a spherical of musical chairs with the spot within the sequence, with solely Samson staking a declare with a 41-ball 51.  

However, Samson’s mode of dismissals towards spin on the Caribbean tour is alarming, particularly contemplating he averages 104.5 and strikes at 116.11 towards the tweakers in 10 ODIs. Ishan Kishan, who’s ostensibly in a race with Samson for the reserve wicketkeeper’s slot, additionally strikes in extra of 110 and averages 46.71 towards spin in ODIs. Moreover, his three back-to-back fifties within the ODI sequence within the Caribbean have put his position as a possible opening companion to Rohit within the highlight. Suryakumar retains tempo with the 2 by way of strike charge towards spin (111.83) however averages simply over 25.  

If Shreyas and Rahul are match when the World Cup comes calling, Samson, Kishan and Suryakumar will discover it robust to cement a spot within the taking part in eleven. But in case both can’t make it, Kishan might reprise the opening slot within the World Cup, the place he’s most suited to.  

That might ruffle some feathers and contravene the favored notion that India’s prime three – Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli – are untouchable.  

But Kishan’s position as opener would solely push Gill to one-drop, his most popular place in Tests, and Kohli to No. 4, the place he averages over 55 in 42 video games, though he has batted in that place solely twice within the final six years.   

This association resonates with former coach Ravi Shastri too.  

“If Virat has to bat at four, he will bat at four in the interest of the side. You know, there were times I thought of it. Even in the previous two World Cups, when I was the coach in 2019, I thought I might have discussed that with MSK [Prasad] as well of him batting at four just to break that top-heavy line-up,” Shastri on Wednesday advised  Star Sports. 

The selectors threw a curveball once they not noted Ambati Rayudu, India’s most prolific batter at No. 4 between 2015 and 2019, forward of the final version. In got here Vijay Shankar, with a ‘three-dimensional’ flavour and batted simply twice in that place in the course of the match.  

Such a chance will not be in line with the tenor and time of the day, however with accidents and kind clouding certainty, the selectors could be pushed to the sting.  

They could have a palatable possibility up their sleeve in Tilak Varma, who isn’t merely a left-field selection however a left-hander, which is a uncommon commodity within the Indian center order. His 173 runs in 5 innings within the T20 sequence towards West Indies gained’t do his possibilities any hurt both.  

The World Cup in 2019 stands as a palimpsest of the one which beckons in October; the group administration is scrambling to iron out the persistent wrinkles whereas the followers wait with bated breath as they chalk out doomsday parallels between the build-ups of the 2 tournaments.