The struggle to find the perfect No. 4 for Team India doesn’t seem to end. India has tested the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Lokesh Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Kedar Jadhav, and Rishabh Pant for the spot over the last few years.
Earlier this month, India’s newly appointed batting coach Vikram Rathour expressed his opinion about the issue. Rathour named Iyer and Manish Pandey as his top choice. Both are currently in the T20I squad for the series against South Africa.
“Shreyas Iyer has done well in the last couple of games and we also have Manish Pandey. These two guys have done very well in domestic cricket and with India A. These are the batters who are capable of doing the job and I have no doubt about it in my mind.
“It is a matter of getting it right at the top level. We need to back them and provide them with the right preparations so that they can be there for a longer time. They have enough talent in them to do well,” told Vikram.
Former Indian Skipper Sourav Ganguly also feels that it would be hard for KL Rahul to hold onto his position in the Indian team.
“With Rohit and Shikhar at the top as the best possible opening pair, KL Rahul will be pushed. He has lost his place in Test cricket due to indifferent form and the likes of Shreyas and Manish Pandey will keep him on his toes if he wants to hold onto the No. 4 slot,” said Ganguly for Times of India.
In the ODI series against West Indies, Iyer scored back to back fifties, earning a spot in the T20I squad.
“Shreyas Iyer finds a place in the T20 squad, a reward for his good show in the 50-overs games in West Indies,” Ganguly added.
Team India is set to play the last T20I of the series against South Africa on Sunday, September 22 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
