World Cup: Who will play at number four for India?
The Indian cricket team has one major issue going into the ICC World Cup 2019. It's the long debated number four batting position. After numerous experiments, veteran Ambati Rayudu was the one identified to lead the way. But his inconsistency has plagued Indian cricket. With the Indian Premier League 2019 underway, here are the names that can seal the spot.
Rationale behind the names mentioned in this list
The factors which we have considered while making this list are 1) current form of the player in IPL 2019, 2) the player's preferred batting position and 3) the possibility of scripting a comeback to Team India.
Vijay Shankar can be promoted within the Indian team
Vijay Shankar is likely to be in the Indian squad. He is being groomed as the second all-rounder after Hardik Pandya. Shankar has been with the Indian team since a while now. He has scored 75 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad in two matches already. Shankar has looked composed and is growing in stature with every match. India could use him frequently at number four.
Rahane will need to continue performing
Indian selectors had stated that Ajinkya Rahane remains an option. Rahane has played 90 ODIs for India including the 2015 World Cup. He hasn't been in the Indian ODI side since the start of 2018 and this IPL is important for him. So far, the Rajasthan Royals skipper has amassed 97 runs with a best of 70. Rahane has looked solid in two matches.
Where does Rayudu stand at the moment?
Rayudu still leads the race and is very much in the mix. The Chennai Super Kings player hasn't started off well though (33 runs from two matches). But he played a matured innings against RCB in the opener on a difficult pitch. He needs to produce some big knocks to gain the confidence of selectors. Team India will be monitoring his progress in IPL.
Shreyas Iyer was believed to be in the race
As per reports earlier, Shreyas Iyer was believed to be in the reckoning as well. He has played a few matches for India before. He hasn't got off to a strong start for Delhi and has managed 34 runs from two games so far.
Fans must be wondering about Pant and DK
Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant are fighting for a berth in the World Cup squad. Notably, the role is that of a finisher and not a middle-order batsman. This rules them out as the number four batsman of the team. As far as the IPL is concerned, Pant has donned the finishing role well for Delhi Capitals. DK hasn't received enough chances yet.
