The number four spot for Team India has been a long-standing issue, and it has become a hot topic despite a solid show at the ICC World Cup 2019. The Men in Blue struggled particularly in the middle-overs which also saw their dismal show with the bat against Afghanistan to raise some pertinent questions. Following a poor show against Afghans, many criticised India for poor batting display in Southampton. Meanwhile, former Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad has a suggestion to sort out the problem.
Gaekwad has enjoyed his coaching stint with India between 1997 and 1999. However, he was succeeded by former New Zealand cricketer – John Wright.
Gaekwad lashes out at players for poor shot selection:
Thus, the recent failure has forced the team management—to think who should be sent to bat at the fourth spot in the remainder of the league stage matches. Gaekwad has himself criticised India’s batsmen following their dismissals.
“There was no need to play the reverse sweep during that time. He was impatient and paid the price for it. Also, Shankar, what was the need to try a sweep? It was not as if the Afghanistan bowlers were doing wonders. They stuck to a good line and length. The need of the hour was to play through the line,” IANS quoted Gaekwad, as saying.
Concurrently, India is third on the ICC World Cup 2019 following four wins in five matches.
Also, apart from Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar and Dinesh Karthik, there have been reports that explosive batsman Rishabh Pant has been introduced to play at No. 4 spot. Pant has recently made it to the squad following the unfortunate injury of the seasoned batsman, Shikhar Dhawan.
During the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019, India has relied on KL Rahul at the No. 4, but due to untimely injury to Dhawan, Rahul opened innings with Rohit Sharma.
Thus, Shankar filled a vacant spot.
“He [Pant] is certainly not my no.4. He is a good striker of the ball. But at the position, you need someone who can stay at the crease. I don’t think I will play him at that position,” Gaekwad elaborated.
The Delhi-based star batsman was ruled out for at least for three weeks before missing out an entire tourney due to a broken left-hand thumb. He received a blow during Australia’s game when extra pace from Pat Cummins deceived him rather than controlling the ball.
However, Gaekwad differs with the opinion by saying Karthik and Jadhav are compatible options for a particular position.
Kedar Jadhav – a contender for No.4 spot: Gaekwad
Regarding the No.4 conundrum, Gaekwad feels Jadhav is an elegant batsman, and he knows to rotate the strike and has shots in his book. He also conceded that it becomes vital for a player to take time during the pressure-cooker situations.
“Kedar Jadhav is a smart cricketer. He is a busy player and can rotate the strike. He can also play his shots. I think he should bat at no. 4. The other option is Dinesh Karthik. He has the experience and is a proven finisher. He likes to take his time at the crease. And that is important when India are in trouble,” Gaekwad added.
The 66-year-old Gaekwad also backed it by saying one should be able to do a fine job alongside skipper Virat Kohli.
“You need someone who can stem the rot along with Virat (Kohli),” Gaekwad further added.
India will play the Windies on June 27 in Manchester.