India’s No. 4 Problem Persists Ahead of World Cup

• India has a problem at No. 4 in ODI cricket.
• Injuries have contributed to the problem this time around.
• Captain Rohit Sharma is concerned about the issue.

There is a significant risk that India’s No. 4 problem may persist throughout the World Cup of 2023 as well. The topic didn’t seem to be resolved before or after the 2019 World Cup. Unlike last time, when the selectors changed their minds about the lineup at the last minute, injuries this time around have contributed to India’s little unease.

With fewer than two months till India’s tournament debut against Australia in Chennai, captain Rohit Sharma is aware of this problem. He finds it particularly troubling that “nobody has come and settled themselves in” for the No. 4 place since Yuvraj Singh.

“Look, No. 4 has been an issue for us for a long time,” Rohit said at an event in Mumbai to announce the new La Liga season. “For a long period of time, Shreyas [Iyer] has actually batted at No. 4 and he has done well – his numbers are really good.

“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. Shreyas and KL [Rahul] are coming off not playing anything for four months, big injuries, surgeries rather. Both had surgeries. I know, I had to undergo surgery once and how it feels afterwards, it is quite tough. We have to see how they respond, what they do.”

Iyer has played at No. 4 for 20 of his 38 ODI innings, scoring 805 runs at an average of 47.35, including two centuries and five half-centuries. However, he has a history of problems and hasn’t participated in any form of cricket since March of this year, when a back problem flared up and required surgery, preventing him from participating in the IPL.

He started hitting in the nets last month and is currently thought to be in the final stages of his recovery.

“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 four-five years,” Rohit said. “A lot of these guys have got injured and you will always see a new guy coming and playing there.

“The percentage of injuries that have happened in the last four-five years, it 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.”

In ODIs since the 2019 World Cup, India has used 11 different players at No. 4. Iyer is one of only two players in the position to have batted more than ten times; the other is Rishabh Pant. While Pant heals from many injuries, India will undoubtedly miss him, while newcomers like Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson have struggled to establish themselves in ODIs.

Suryakumar recently acknowledged that his ODI statistics are “really bad,” but he said he is handling it well as he seeks to figure out the recipe for 50-over cricket success.

“He is really working hard, and he is talking to a lot of guys who have played a lot of ODI cricket as to what kind of attitude and mindset [to have] like that,” Rohit said of Suryakumar. “It is important to give a batter like him the cushion of extra games so that he finds that groove and gets that confidence. The way he started the IPL this year, in the first four-five games he did not have too many runs. But look what he did after that.

“For a player like him, it is our job to create such a situation and scenario: ‘It’s okay, if you don’t do well in two-three games, we are okay [with it], but when you come off, we know that you will win games straightaway’.

“That is what he did in the third T20I [against West Indies], the batters at the top got out and for Surya to go and bat like that it is a different format. But we will also have to see how long we can stretch this (having Suryakumar at No. 4 in ODIs).”

Looking ahead to the Asia Cup, where India will play Pakistan in their opening match on September 2, Rohit mentioned the need to have “a lot of questions” answered while also wanting to win. The Indian team has not yet been announced, but the selectors will monitor Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna’s performance in Ireland throughout the three T20 International matches beginning on August 18.

According to the current situation, a group of about 20 players would likely gather in Bengaluru for a fitness camp at the NCA before leaving for the Asia Cup.”We will see, we want to win but at the same time there are a lot of questions that we need answers of,” Rohit said. “But in the Asia Cup, I want to see some of the guys batting under pressure against quality teams.

“I still want to see those things, so we will wait and see what happens, but it is always nice to have a lot of names, rather than just one or two names. I hope they are fit in time – firstly that is the most important.”

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