With just two months to go for cricket's prime event, the ODI World Cup, the Indian cricket team has some important calls to make, none more so than to decide who will play at number four at the tournament.
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This position has seen some chopping and changing in recent times. In 2011, Virat Kohli batted there in his first World Cup. Ajinkya Rahane was preferred in 2015, while the 2019 World Cup saw KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar and Rishabh Pant all bat at four in different matches.
In an ideal world, India would like to have a clear first-choice player for the position well ahead of the tournament.
Which Indian batsman can take the 'number 4' slot in World Cup?
Only five batters in India's history have played 50 or more innings at number four, so it is a position that sees some amount of flux in general.
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India have tried 11 different players at number four since the 2019 World Cup. Five of those (Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar) were either situational or just one-offs.
The others are as follows:
| Name | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shreyas Iyer | 20 | 805 | 47.3 | 94.3 | 113* |
| Rishabh Pant | 11 | 360 | 36.0 | 100.5 | 125* |
| Ishan Kishan | 6 | 106 | 21.2 | 67.1 | 50 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 5 | 30 | 6.0 | 100.0 | 13 |
| Manish Pandey | 3 | 74 | 24.6 | 82.2 | 37 |
| KL Rahul | 3 | 189 | 63.0 | 89.1 | 108 |
The current list makes for some grim reading. Manish Pandey has been out of the India scheme for a while and is more or less certain to not play. Suryakumar Yadav has looked out of place in the 50-over format in general and even a squad role may prove difficult to come by.
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Ishan Kishan has impressed when opening the innings, especially recently, but has failed to make a real impression lower down.
KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer? Who should bat at number four?
Based on the recent record, Shreyas Iyer is the prime candidate for the spot, both in terms of match experience and performance. KL Rahul has been excellent at number five, and in his limited time at number four as well.
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Who takes the spot for the World Cup may eventually come down to fitness. Both Iyer and Rahul as well as Rishabh Pant are recovering from long-term injuries. In case all of them are fit for the World Cup, two out of the three would likely bat at four and five for India.
As of now, the clear choice for number four would be Shreyas Iyer.
How many matches are left for Team India before the World Cup?
Currently, the Indian T20 side is on a tour of the Caribbean. Later this month, another squad will travel to Ireland for a T20 series.
In terms of ODIs, September's Asia Cup is a major event before Australia visit India prior to the World Cup.
