cricket

Updated: Aug 08, 2019 08:39 IST

After blanking West Indies in the T20I series, India will now lock horns against Jason Holder’s troops in a three-match ODI series starting Friday. This will be India’s first 50-over assignment after the World Cup and they will look for answers for an issue that has plagued the team for a considerable long time now — the cursed number four spot. The ‘Men in Blue’ have tried different personnels for the crucial batting position but nobody has been able to nail down the position as their own. Let’s now take a look at the contenders for the number four spot in the forthcoming series against Windies -

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KL Rahul

Talented batsman KL Rahul has time and time again reiterated his desire to open the innings in ODIs but due to the presence of two top class openers, he has to be contend with playing in the middle-order. Rahul did reasonably well in the World Cup at number four but due to Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, he had to be promoted at the top. But now that the two regular openers are reunited, expect Rahul to drop down the order once again.

Rishabh Pant

Wicket-keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant made his World Cup debut at the number four spot but failed to leave a lasting impression. His style of batting suits the position as he is capable of building the innings as well as taking the attack to the opposition, depending upon the situation. Pant’s consistency remains a problem and that seemingly has stopped the selectors from handing him over the reigns for the crucial spot just yet.

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Shreyas Iyer

Another youngster who is looking to cement his place in the ODI side is Shreyas Iyer. The 24-year-old has done reasonably well as captain for Indian Premier League (IPL) side Delhi Capitals but so far has failed to replicate that form for Team India. Iyer remains a long-term prospect for the team but the sooner he starts to produce the goods, the better will it be for him and the team.

Manish Pandey

Middle-order batsman Manish Pandey made his ODI debut in 2015 and despite being handed a long rope by the team management, he hasn’t been able to nail down his place in the side. Because of his inconsistency, he was dropped from the side for World Cup as well. The selectors have once again offered him a chance but he will have to produce the goods on a consistent basis as he is not getting younger at 29.