With the World Cup just under two months away, India is still searching for a reliable batter to slot in at number four. This instability is a familiar problem, as it also plagued the squad during the 2019 World Cup in England. Even recent attempts to test three different players during the West Indies tour failed to yield a solution. Captain Rohit Sharma voiced his concerns, admitting that the team has struggled to find a successor to Yuvraj Singh for this critical role.
With the 50-over World Cup less than two months away, India is still looking for a batter to fill the No.4 slot, a problem that plagued them in the previous tournament in England in 2019. Team India tried three batters at the No.4 spot in the West Indies series, but none worked well. No batter has succeeded in settling into the crucial number four place in the Indian ODI side since Yuvraj Singh’s retirement, said Rohit Sharma, raising serious concerns ahead of the World Cup.
Shreyas Iyer has been a bright spot in the past, putting up strong numbers with 805 runs and an average of 47.35 (including two centuries and five fifties) over 20 games at number four before his injury layoff. Despite this, Rohit Sharma confessed that the position has been a persistent issue, with no one truly settling in since the era of Yuvraj Singh.
Rohit pointed out that Shreyas had actually performed quite well and maintained a strong statistical record during his time batting at number four.
The captain lamented that injuries have been the primary obstacle, keeping Shreyas and other potential candidates out of the game. He explained that over the past four or five years, frequent injuries have forced a revolving door of players in that position, preventing any real consistency.
Rohit further explained that the high rate of injuries among key players has damaged the team's long-term cohesion. Reflecting on his observations even before taking over as captain, he noted a pattern of players entering the squad only to be sidelined by injuries or a dip in form.