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As India gears up for the highly anticipated ODI World Cup 2023, the jigsaw puzzle of the vacant No. 4 spot in the team still remains unsolved. The persistent issue was recently addressed by Team India skipper Rohit Sharma as he candidly expressed his concerns over the team’s struggles to find a stable player for the crucial no. 4 position. Rohit also lamented the recurring injuries that have plagued key contenders for the position, notably Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul.
Rohit highlights India’s failure to find Yuvraj Singh’s replacement:
Speaking to the media in a press conference on the sidelines of the La Liga event, Rohit acknowledged the challenges the team has faced in filling the No. 4 position. The right-handed batter highlighted how every batter failed to settle in the middle order following the retirement of Yuvraj Singh.
Rohit further went on to hail Shreyas for his promising performances at the no. 4 spot, underlining his potential to stabilize the middle order. But at the same time, he also pointed out the impact of unfortunate injuries that disrupted the continuity of players at the pivotal batting position.
“Look, No. 4 has been an issue for us for a long time. After Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), nobody has come and settled themselves in. But, for a long period of time, Shreyas (Iyer) has actually batted at No. 4 and he has done well – his numbers are really good,” said Rohit.
“Unfortunately, injuries have given him a bit of trouble; he has been out for a while and that is honestly what has happened in the last 4-5 years. A lot of these guys have got injured and you will always see a new guy coming and playing there,” he added.
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Shreyas and Rahul’s performance for India at the No. 4 batting position:
It is worth mentioning that Shreyas boasts an impressive average of 42 at the fourth batting position with a strike rate of 96. Meanwhile, Rahul is another batter to have proved his mettle in the middle order with an average of 49.70 and a strike rate of 94. Although the duo emerged as a big relief for India in the past few years, their recurring fitness issues kept them out of the team in recent times.
The same was addressed by Rohit in the later part of the media interaction when he talked about the frequent shuffling of players at the No. 4 position due to injuries or loss of form even before assuming the skipper’s post in the team.
“The percentage of injuries that have happened in the last 4-5 years is massive. When the players get injured or are not available, you try doing different things with different players – that is what I have to say about No. 4. Even before when I was not the captain, I was watching no? There were so many guys who came in and went out. But injuries kept them away or they were not available or someone lost form,” Rohit reflected on injuries surrounding players.
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