The Number Four conundrum has been haunting team management since Yuvraj Singh went out of favor in the Indian side. The game of musical chair at the number four position in the batting order escalated before the World Cup last year, with the axing of Ambati Rayudu and the inclusion of Vijay Shankar in the squad.
After the unsuccessful venture at no. 4 of Dinesh Karthik, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, and Manish Pandey; Shreyas Iyer was finally handed the opportunity at the most debated number four position.
The constant chopping and changing by management also affected the Mumbai batsman as he was drafted into the side by the end of 2017. An impressive performance against Sri Lanka, supporting Rohit Sharma’s double ton, gave a glimpse of his potential at the slot.
After scoring six half-centuries, Iyer finally brought his maiden ton (103 off 107 balls) in ODIs at Hamilton on Wednesday against New Zealand. The Delhi Capitals’ skipper attributed his stint in India ‘A’ for his success at number four position.
“In India A, it’s not that I have to bat number four all the time. You keep changing your position depending on what is the situation. I got to maneuver my place from 3 to 5, I kept changing (batting order). It’s just that we get good practice there and you face different opposition as well so you get used to the atmosphere,” Shreyas Iyer told the media in the post-match conference.
Despite his contribution, India went on to lose the match by four wickets. Iyer constructed crucial partnerships with Virat Kohli (102) and KL Rahul (136) to propel the Indian score to 347.
“I am very happy but would have been happier if we could have finished the game on a winning note. First of many (centuries) I hope, so I would take this in my stride and try to make sure that next time, I finish on the winning side,” claimed the 25-year old middle-order batsman.
