With the ODI World Cup a year away, India might still be nowhere near in narrowing down the No.4 spot.
Who bats at No.4 for India? The question was much asked, prompting several debates and discussions among fans and experts alike in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup in England.
In early 2018, India had Ajinkya Rahane performing that role to success in South Africa, before KL Rahul took over by the time they toured England later that year. Rishabh Pant and Vijay Shankar too got their chances, and MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya too, batted at the position when the need arose.
However, Ambati Rayudu seemed to have cracked the slot, with then skipper Virat Kohli giving an affirmation for the same during the West Indies tour of India in October 2018. Come the marquee event in England, Rayudu’s exclusion in India’s World Cup squad was much debated, with Vijay Shankar being preferred, famously backed for his “3D skills” as had been cited by selector MSK Prasad.
India finalised KL Rahul as their No.4 batter in the competition, but a finger injury to Shikhar Dhawan meant that the former would be pushed to open, with India first trying Shankar, later Pant at No.4.
India were reduced to 5/3, later 24/4 in a 240-run chase in the semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester, but a 21-year-old Pant somewhat revived the ship. The inexperience however, led to an untimely hoick off Mitchell Santner, as India would sink deeper. Ravindra Jadeja and Dhoni’s heroics later were not enough to save the day.
India’s exit was largely surrounded by the No.4 debate then, and three years later, under a different captain and a number of options at their disposal, there’s still no uncertainty over who takes that No.4 slot in a full-strength XI.
Since the 2019 World Cup, India have tried seven different batters at the two-drop slot – Shreyas Iyer, Pant, Rahul, Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Manish Pandey.
While Kohli is likely to stay at No.3 and Pandey has lost his place in the national side, the five other names, to go with Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson and perhaps even Shubman Gill, add more to the problem of plenty.
(On assumption that Rohit Sharma, Dhawan and Kohli make up the top-order, and Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are No.6 and No.7)
No other Indian batter has showcased as much adaptability in the batting order as KL Rahul in ODI cricket in recent years. While he has excelled as an opener, his returns at No.4 and 5 are just as impressive: 209 runs at 41.8 and 453 runs at 56.63 respectively, with a hundred at each. While the latter makes better reading of the two, suggesting that he should retain the No.5 slot, his skills and experience against the new ball make him the ideal batter to go out in a 10/2 situation. That he is one of the few Indian batters currently accustomed to play the anchor’s role, further pushes his case.
Shreyas Iyer is the only Indian player to have batted 10 or more times at No.4 since the 2019 World Cup and the 27-year-old has delivered the goods with 543 runs at 45.25 and a strike-rate of 92.82. His brilliance against spin makes him an extremely difficult batter to contain in the middle-overs. However, the shortcomings against short-pitched bowling, and somewhat a discomfort in seam and swing friendly conditions, as has surfaced recently, raises a few doubts.
India’s designated wicket-keepers across formats and a proven match-winner, Rishabh Pant is most likely to bat at No.4 in India’s first XI considering the present team build-up. Pant has aggregated 335 runs at 41.87, while maintaining a strike-rate of 105 at the position since the World Cup. That includes a scintillating, match-winning unbeaten 125 against England in a series decider recently at Old Trafford. India have been tempted to maintain left-right combinations in limited-overs cricket, and that pushes Pant’s case further to bat in the top-four.
India’s batting order for the 2023 ODI World Cup
#1 ___________
#2 ___________
#3 ___________
#4 ___________
#5 ___________Tell us your picks! 👊#ZIMvIND #CricketTwitter
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) August 23, 2022
Much like Rahul, Yadav has shown that he is extremely adept at any batting position against pace and spin alike. He might’ve already cemented his place in T20Is, having climbed to No.2 in the rankings, and is skilled enough to do so in the 50-overs game too. Recently, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting likened him to AB de Villiers for his 360-degrees strokeplay. De Villiers scored 5,736 runs at 53.11 and a strike-rate of 98.64 in ODIs. If Yadav can get anywhere close, it’ll be pleasing for the viewers, and as fruitful to the team’s cause in the same brief.
Deepak Hooda’s ODI career hasn’t quite taken off, and he has batted at No.5 or below in his six outings thus far, which have fetched him 141 runs with a highest of 33. However, his continual brilliance in the domestic setup and the promise shown in T20Is suggest that he will be given a long run in near future. He too, can be looked at as a No.4 candidate for the success he’s had at the domestic level. While Hooda doesn’t quite command a place in the XI as yet, the prospect of having a reliable part-timer in the top-five keeps him pretty much in the mix.
Sanju Samson’s neat and sublime strokeplay is a sight to behold, and despite the limited opportunities in the Indian setup, the right-hander has been much admired by experts and fans, much to his own surprise as he stated recently. An in-form Samson at No.4 makes for a great option at No.4 given his aggressive streak, a switch from the conventional approach of having an anchor. It can produce impactful results, as Eoin Morgan showcased in England colours during his prime.
It might be an unpopular choice, but Gill’s excellent returns against the West Indies and Zimbabwe recently, could make him a tough candidate to ignore in India’s XI. While it is largely likely that he would travel with the ODI squads as a reserve opener, his solidity at the crease, the ability to rotate strike and keep the scoreboard moving are the makings of a fine middle-order batter.
