The Indian team will play their first match in the ICC World Cup 2019 on June 5 and there are still speculations going on as to who will bat at no.4 spot in the playing XI in the tournament. For a while after the success of Ambati Rayudu, things were looking settled, but his failure in Australia series has opened the position once again.

Amongst the top contenders for that spot in the Indian team along with Rayudu is Tamil Nadu’s Vijay Shankar, who has impressed everyone with his batting and ability to make runs at a high strike rate in ODIs. If reports are to be believed, then Vijay Shankar could well be the ‘joker in the pack’ if the Indian team management decides to try him at the tricky number four position in the upcoming World Cup.

“Let’s get one thing clear. Ambati Rayudu has not inspired the highest level of confidence as number four after his 90 at Wellington. Things can still change if he has a good IPL but there has been a growing feeling that he is uncomfortable against anything above medium pace,” a source in the know of things told PTI on Tuesday.

Though Rayudu has an average of close to 50 in ODIs, a close look at his number reveals that most of his big knocks have come against comparatively weaker bowling attacks like Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, and the West Indies.

“There are two ways to look at Vijay Shankar’s elevation. The pros are that he has the ability to rotate strike and is also a power hitter. At Wellington, he showed that he can tackle quality swing and has time to play pace. The flip side is only nine ODIs going into the World Cup. Will the team management take that risk? Let’s wait till IPL,” the source said.

(with PTI inputs)