Race For India’s No 4 Batting Slot Still Not Over, Reckons Sourav Ganguly
Mar 12, 2019 at 10:57 AM
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly feels the race for the number four spot is still not over in the Indian team.
In the last couple of years, Team India has done exceedingly well in One-Day Internationals. But that does not mean the team-management is not having any worries at the moment. While the top-order and and bowling have done very well, the middle order has been a major area of concern. What is even more worrying is the unsettled number four spot.
The number four spot has been a major area of concern for the team for quite some time now. It is the link between the top-order and the lower middle-order and the right man needs to occupy it in order to keep the balance of the playing XI intact.
The Indian camp has been experimenting extensively since the second half of 2017 but without much success. Going back to the Sri Lankan tour in July-August last year, through the ODI series against Australia and New Zealand, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ajinkya Rahane were tried at that position but none of them managed to impress. Ambati Rayudu was the latest to be tried out but he too has failed to impress so far.
In the first three games of the ongoing series against Australia, he scored 13, 18 and 2 before KL Rahul replaced him in the fourth game. With less than 90 days remaining before the competition, it is a big worry for the team-management and Sourav Ganguly believes that the fight is still on for who gets to grab India’s No 4.
“Options are still there. Let’s see what happens,” Sourav Ganguly told reporters at the Eden Gardens on Monday.
He also downplayed the concerns emerging after India’s loss in the fourth ODI. The Men in Blue had posted a mammoth 358 but failed to defend it.
“There was a lot of dew. It was difficult. I don’t think we should read too much into one defeat and it does not hamper World Cup preparations,” Ganguly said.
The World Cup, meanwhile, will start on May 30. India, on the other hand, will play their first game on June 5 against South Africa.