India's Search for a Reliable Number 4 Batsman in ODIs: The Key to World Cup Success?

2023-08-04 20:30:00

05 August 2023, 02:00 AM IST

In cricket, the number four batsman has a big task. If he falls, the game can change. After Yuvraj Singh’s retirement, India continues to wait for a reliable number 4 in ODIs…

: If you wait for Team India’s chest beat, you can hear the sound of ‘Nali’. Two World Cup seasons have passed since the number four made India fear the pitch. Ever since Yuvraj Singh stepped off his pads, the management has been looking for a good number four. India have tested eight players in this position in ODIs in a year.

In any format of cricket, the number four batsman is the main link between the two ends. One who is never allowed to play as he pleases. If it comes after the openers and the first down are smashed, then the scoring should be kept fast and smashed in the last overs. If the front line collapses, the rescue operation should be led. Finally, the tail end should be held together and the team should reach a respectable score.

In short, the fourth must be a good driver who can use the gears with great precision.

Today, India is the team with the worst batting average at number four. India’s number 4 runs at an average of 16.20 in ODIs in 2023. South Africa (63.2 average) is the first. Pakistan (34.6), New Zealand (33.9) and Bangladesh (31.9) are also strong at number four.

Ever since India lost to Australia in the 2015 World Cup semi-finals, India have tried many men at number four. Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and others will be in it. In the most recent West Indies ODIs, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel were dropped at number four. Out of this, only Ambati Rayudu, Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli have established themselves.

With only two months left for the ODI World Cup at home, the Indian team has yet to find an answer in four.

Maybe if he comes back from injury, K.L. Rahul will be in this position. Virat Kohli is the most suitable number 4 for India today. Kohli averages over 50 with seven centuries at number four. But it remains to be seen whether the team management will be ready to shift Kohli from the one-down position. Shreyas Iyer, who has almost recovered from injury, Sanju Samson, who shone in the third ODI against the West Indies, and Ishan Kishan, who scored four fifties in Tests and ODIs in West Indies, are all suitable in this position. Ishan Kishan’s weakness is his inability to take singles and rotate the strike.

In any case, the picture of India’s World Cup line-up will be clear with the Asia Cup. In the 2019 World Cup, a lot of care should be taken not to repeat the failure of trying four men at number four.

Major players who have played at number 4 since 2021

Batter innings runs average highest score

Shreyas Iyer 8 342 57.00 113*

Rishabh Pant 8 262 37.42 125*

Ishan Kishan 6 106 21.20 50*

KL Rahul 2 81 40.50 49

Manish Pandey 3 74 24.66 37

Suryakumar Yadav 5 30 06.00 13

Average of No. 4 Teams in ODIs 2023

South Africa 63.2

Pakistan 34.6

New Zealand 33.9