5 Players who can bat at No.4 for India after the World Cup

Who is going to bat at No. 4 in the World Cup?? This is the question the Indian team management, players and the fans have been asking themselves for the past few years. Since the last World Cup in 2015, India tried a lot of players like Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey and Ambati Rayudu in the position but none of them could perform consistently. Rayudu came close and almost looked certain to bat at four in the World Cup till a few months back. But a last-minute dip in form raised doubts and the batsman was omitted from the World Cup squad. Now with the World Cup squad being finalized, either of KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar or Dinesh Karthik will bat at the No. 4 position in the tournament. While this looks a decent bet for the World Cup, the selectors and the Indian team management will look to find a long term solution to the number four slot which is one of the most important and key positions in ODI cricket. Here we bring you five players who could take up the responsibility after the World Cup: 1. Shreyas Iyer Shreyas Iyer of India. (Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images/Getty Images) The Delhi Capitals captain, Shreyas Iyer is known for playing classical cricket shots with brute force. Spotted at a young age by former Indian cricketer Pravin Amre, Iyer came to limelight in the 2015 IPL edition where he scored 439 runs from 14 matches thereby winning the emerging player of the year award. Since then he went on to become an important player of the team and was also made the captain of the team last year. He has also performed brilliantly for the Mumbai team in domestic cricket and has risen through the ranks in the past few years. In 70 List-A matches, Iyer has scored 2647 runs at an impressive strike rate of 94.33. He has mostly batted at the No.3 in the IPL and for Mumbai in List-A cricket. Shreyas Iyer’s game is quite suited for the No. 4 position in ODI cricket. He plays both pace and spin well and can bat defensively and also attack the bowlers when required. He has played for India in six ODIs and should’ve got more chances to prove himself. Nevertheless, Iyer looks the prime candidate to make it into the side again after the mega event. 2. Manish Pandey Manish Pandey. (Photo Source: Twitter) The Karnataka batsman will always be remembered as the first Indian to score a century in the Indian Premier League(IPL). Manish Pandey is a flamboyant stroke maker middle-order batsman and was also part of the U19 World Cup winning team in 2008 under Virat Kohli. Having been around for almost a decade, it’s hard to believe that the talented batsman has represented India in just 23 ODIs and 28 T20Is. Manish Pandey plays for the Karnataka team in domestic cricket and has mostly batted at No. 4 for them. In 139 List-A matches, he has scored 4504 runs with a strike rate of 91.34 and 8 centuries to his name. He has the experience and has done quite well in domestic cricket at the number four position. The only thing that has stopped the Karnataka batsman from being a regular member of the Indian side is his lack of consistency. But with age on his side, Pandey will look to change his fortune and do justice to the talent he possesses. 3. Shubman Gill Shubman Gill. (Photo Source: Twitter) Touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket after Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill rose to fame after scoring 418 runs at an astonishing average of 104.50 in the 2018 U19 World Cup. He also won the Player of the Tournament award and was the architect of India’s title win. His fondness to score big runs and stay at the crease for longer period of time makes him an ideal choice for the No. 4 position. In 39 List-A matches, Gill already has 4 centuries to his name and has scored 1591 runs. His batting style is quite flexible and from opening the innings to batting at No.7, Shubman Gill has done it all for his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders so far. He was tried at the No. 3 position for a couple of games in New Zealand but struggled against the swinging ball. The No.4 position suits his game and he could be a long term option for the position after the World Cup. 4. Sanju Samson Sanju Samson. (Photo Source: Instagram) Sanju Samson is a wicket-keeper batsman from Kerala and is known for playing eye pleasing strokes and his fluent batting style. He has become one of the most consistent batsmen for the Rajasthan Royals team in the IPL in the past few years. In 92 IPL matches, he has scored 2204 runs with two centuries to his name. In List-A career Samson has amassed 1779 runs in 78 matches. It’s almost certain that MS Dhoni is playing his last ODI World Cup and Sanju Samson, along with his batting, also gives a wicket-keeping option to the team management. He likes to play his shots and is capable of scoring big runs at a brisk rate. He needs to improve his temperament and with some good performance in the domestic cricket, a national call-up will be on the cards for Sanju Samson. 5. Nitish Rana Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: Twitter) Born In Delhi, Nitish Rana is an aggressive left-handed middle-order batsman. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2015-16 and was impressive in his first season as he scored 557 runs at an average of nearly 50 that year. He plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and usually bats in the middle order. Though he has shown some glimpses of his brilliance, he has failed to convert the starts to a big inning. Also, he has failed to perform consistently throughout the season and that has impacted his chances of a national call-up. If he can learn from his past mistakes and become a more consistent batsman he may get a chance at the international level in the near future. Join CricTracker on Telegram. 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5 Players who can bat at No.4 for India after the World Cup

These players are definitely future stars and could be tried at the much-debated position.

4. Sanju Samson

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