In Spite of Wins, India’s Quest for a Stable No 4 Batsman Goes On

Even after a string of victories, the Indian team are still searching for a stable number 4 batsman in ODIs.

Team India has been on a terrific run of form in recent times. After whitewashing the hosts in the tour of Sri Lanka in all three formats, India are proving their mettle once again against a strong Australian side at home.

Back-to-back victories in the opening two encounters have given India the upper hand in the five-match ODI series.

However, one puzzle that still remains unsolved is the Indian batting unit’s no 4 conundrum. Despite all the recent success, India are yet to find the ideal no 4 batsman who can dig the team out of trouble in times of crisis as well as one who can up the ante in case of a good platform set by the top three batsmen.

Failures of Manish Pandey

Scores of 0 and 3 in consecutive matches is certainly not something the team seeks from a number 4 batsman, especially when they have lost their openers cheaply. However, that has been the case for Pandey in this series so far. Early loss of the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli saw Pandey walking out to bat at no 4 in the first ODI. In the second ODI, it was Rohit and Rahane’s wickets that brought the Karnataka batsman to the crease.

Both times, he returned with disappointing single-digit scores.

It was batting at this position that Pandey scored his maiden ODI century against Australia at their den in 2016. An average of 36.60 batting at that position in seven innings is considered to be fairly decent for any batsman. However, that is largely due to the century he scored.

Apart from the century, he has averaged just 15.80 in six innings batting at number 4. So, if Pandey doesn’t show improvement in his performance in the next match, India might have to look for other options as well.

Would India Experiment With Jadhav?

Kedar Jadhav has been a very valuable addition to the Indian side. He has played some crucial match winning knocks batting at no 5 and 6 since his debut. His innings of 120* against England earlier this year stands out among the rest. It was in the Sri Lanka series that he was tried for the first time in the no 4 position. And he failed miserably at that, getting dismissed for a solitary run.

However, just one bad innings isn’t any proof of a player’s abilities. He averages a healthy 46.20 with 693 runs to his name in 21 ODI innings. Out of that, 511 of his runs have come batting at no 6 in 12 innings and that too at a mammoth average of 63.87. So, there is no reason why he can’t be successful at no 4 as well.

Pandey, on the other hand, can be pushed down to no 5 to see how things go. He has played three innings at no 5 in his career so far, averaging 49.50 and the same number of innings at no 6 averaging 34.00. In case Pandey fails to deliver at no 4 in the next match against Australia, India can swap their batting positions to make things work in the last couple of ODIs.

Return of KL Rahul

If they don’t experiment by reshuffling Pandey and Jadhav’s batting positions, India may like to try KL Rahul at no 4 at the expense of Pandey. Rahul is one of the most talented young batsmen in the country at the moment.

In his nine ODI innings so far, he has been the most successful one to open the innings. He averaged a scintillating 55.00 as an opener on six occasions. Moreover, he has batted once at each of the no 3, 4, and 5 positions. He hasn’t had any good returns at those positions getting out cheaply every time.

However, he has shown in the IPL that he can up the ante in the middle overs playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was the third-highest run-getter for the RCB in the 2016 edition of the IPL just behind Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

And most of those runs came while batting at no 4. So, he has shown that he can score heavily as a middle order batsman as well. So, India should not hesitate to give him an extended run at no 4.

Comeback for Yuvraj Singh or Suresh Raina?

Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina have been the most prolific middle order players over the years in limited-overs cricket for India. Chief selector MSK Prasad has said that doors are not closed for anybody and everybody will have a fair chance to prove their mettle. So, if both Pandey and Rahul fail to deliver in that position, selectors will once again be forced to recall either Raina or Yuvraj into the side.

Yuvraj has a wealth of experience batting at no 4. Out of his 278 ODI innings so far, he has batted at number 4 on 108 occasions, scoring 3,415 runs at an average of 35.20, including six 100s and 17 fifties. His strike rate of 89.44 batting at no 4 also gives a fair idea that he doesn’t get bogged down by pressure easily.

Raina, on the other hand, has been a finisher for the major part of his career for India. However, on the 18 occasions he has batted at no 4 out of 192 innings overall, he averaged a healthy 45.00 with 675 runs to his name, including one 100 and six 50s.

However, the real question is if the duo are the same players as they used to be during their peak days. Both batsmen have been inconsistent in recent years and fitness has taken a toll on them as well. It depends on the selectors now if they would like to recall the duo onto the side considering their good middle order record.

Ajinkya Rahane Once Again

There is no other batsman in the Indian team right now who is as versatile as Rahane. He can bat at any position. People might argue that he is not a proper fit for the limited-overs squad due to his strike rate issue, but his value is still immeasurable. He is yet to reach his full potential as a limited-overs batsman.

He has been relatively consistent at every position that he has batted in so far. He averages 35.06, 35.20, and 37.00 while opening the innings, at no 3 and no 4, respectively. That gives a measure of how good he is.

While he has a career strike rate of 78.20 which is more or less the same while opening the innings or batting at no 3, it shoots up to 85.21 while batting at number 4. In 20 innings at that position, he has 703 runs to his name, including five half-centuries.

So, if all plans fail, India will most probably go with Rahane as their no 4 hoping that the move turns out to be good for the 2019 World Cup. There is still over a year to go before the 2019 World Cup arrives. But, the time will pass in the blink of an eye if India do not get their middle-order woes sorted out quickly.

(Prasenjit Dey is a freelance cricket writer. He can be reached at@Prosen02. The opinions expressed are the author’s own and The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same)