These five batsmen have the best chance of batting at no.4 spot in the Indian team for CWC 2019.
With the majority of teams finalizing their team squads for the mega ICC event, Team India is also doing the same with around 10 ODI games to go for them and the 2019 IPL. However, one point of concern for the Indian team is the no.4 spot, which has been lying vacant for quite some time now.
India has tried a host of players at this spot, but no one has been able to cement themselves at this crucial position, which has left Indian team management conducting various trials for filling in the position.
Given that Team India is one of the favorites to lift the ICC World Cup 2019, they need to find an answer to this conundrum and that too as quickly as possible.
Keeping the urgency in mind, Team COC presents five top contenders for the no.4 spot in the Indian team for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019.
Here are the Top 5 contenders for the no.4 spot in the Indian team
AMBATI RAYUDU
Ambati Rayudu has been the newest stop-gap arrangement at the no.4 spot for the Indian team. He gave everyone a hope when he performed admirably for the Indian team in the 2018 Asia Cup and the home ODI series against West Indies in 2018.
All this came after he was included in the Indian team following his superlative performance in the 2018 IPL, where he scored 602 runs while both opening the batting and playing in the middle order, including a century and was part of CSK’s IPL winning team.
Rayudu showed his class during the Asia Cup 2018, where he played some very good knocks for the team and then came back strongly scoring his 3rd ODI century and a score of 73 against West Indies at home.
Everyone thought that India has finally found their answer for the no.4 spot, but Rayudu’s performance in the two ODI matches against Australia has reignited the issue.
He has scores of 0 and a very scratchy 24 in two matches. Given that Rayudu retired from FC cricket to focus on white-ball cricket, and that he is 33 years old, his lack of match practice and rustiness was evident against fast bowlers in the Adelaide ODI.
Rayudu might have another chance in the third ODI to come good and cement his place for the 2019 World Cup, else there are other contenders for the role and he might miss the bus for the mega event.
MANISH PANDEY
However, his career has been a story of hits and misses, with the misses outnumbering the hits. In 23 ODIs, Pandey has scored 440 runs with the highest score of 104* and two fifties to his name and an average of 36.66. However, despite being given a long run in the team during 2017, Pandey didn’t manage to nail down his place and a serious of low scores caused him to be dropped from the team.
A lukewarm IPL 2018 didn’t do well for his chances. Pandey, however, was part of Indian team for the Windies series. But now, it has been back to basics for the Karnataka lad, who has shown some sublime form with a couple of the 40s, a fifty and a century for Karnataka in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
Pandey’s inconsistency is a big hurdle in his career so far and he needs to make the most of the chances that will come his way, starting most probably with the 2019 IPL, when he will turn out for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
SHREYAS IYER
Iyer, who was named the captain of his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals for the 2019 season, is one of the best young stars in the Indian cricket circuit at the moment and he also admitted that he has stopped thinking about Indian team selection, after he was ignored despite some decent returns for the India A team and Mumbai in the domestic games.
Indian team must give a serious look at Shreyas Iyer, as he can be groomed to be a long-term prospect at no.4 and not just as a solution for the 2019 World Cup.
SHUBMAN GILL
Though the 19-year-old has primarily played as an opener for the U19 team, he has been tremendous whenever he got an opportunity to score runs. In the 2018 U19 World Cup, he was the leading run-scorer for India in the tournament, with 372 runs and was also named the player of the tournament.
Gill also secured an IPL contract with Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2018 season and impressed with his show in the limited opportunities he got. Gill recently hit his highest FC score against Tamil Nadu- 268 and a 148 against Hyderabad in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.
Gill might be hoping of getting some game time to impress the selectors and staking a claim for the 2019 World Cup squad spot at the no.4 position.
MS DHONI
Dhoni has been on the target of his critics since a long time and the decline in his hitting abilities have added more fuel to the fire. His game has now become more of an accumulator of runs, who depends on his partner to hit the big runs. He is still as fit as before and can run the hard runs between the wickets.
His fans should stop expecting big shots all the time from Dhoni, as his game now has become more suited for the no.4 spot. If an early wicket falls, he can handle the situation easily and accumulate runs and rebuild the innings. It was something he did in the first ODI against Australia with his 96-ball 51 run innings, for which he was criticized.
Perhaps, with Dhoni almost confirmed to play in the 2019 World Cup, the team management should give him the best spot in the playing XI at no.4 which suits his new game and which will help him contribute more with the bat, without the pressure of having to hit big shots and finishing the game.