ICC World Cup 2019: Sourav Ganguly picks Rishabh Pant as India's No.4 for the tournament

The conundrum regarding the No.4 position in the Indian team is now seeming to be endless. It started last year with a little less than a year left for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Since KL Rahul‘s form kept deteriorating and he was dropped from the squad, the Indian batting line-up became all shaky. Meanwhile, ex-captain Sourav Ganguly thinks Rishabh Pant would be best for the role of No.4 for India.

A balance in the Indian middle-order has been eyed ever since and to achieve that a stable No.4 is mandatory. The debate is still underway as no final decision has been made with regards to it. Last year, ahead of the Australia tour, Amabati Rayudu was considered as the best bet for the spot in the 50-over format. He performed decently but has been inconsistent, to say the least.

The recently concluded five-match ODI series has produced even more questions regarding the selection issues. Indian skipper Virat Kohli had previously affirmed that the IPL won’t be a measure for the World Cup selection. But with India losing 3-2 to Australia, the management needs to try out a few more options. The 12th edition of the IPL starts on March 23 and May 30 is when the ICC event commences. India only have a little time between that. 

Ganguly believes the IPL will help decide the No.4 spot

The newly appointed Delhi Capitals advisor Sourav Ganguly believes that Rishabh Pant could be the answer to India’s middle-order woes as he has the quality and skill to carry out the role in England. “Look at how Pant played in the last IPL. In ODIs, Pant is coming in and going out because MS Dhoni is there and that doesn’t help. Pant is your future. For the next 10 years, you will see a lot of him. He will be a huge asset for the Indian team,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by Times of India.

Even though Kohli has previously said that the IPL won’t be a metric in the World Cup selection process, Ganguly thinks differently. “Many choices are there but I think the IPL will in a way decide who will get that position. I had said Pujara because he has been in good form. I saw Dravid do the role when I was captain. If you don’t have an option you can try him. Pant or Rayudu could be an option. We can give our opinion, but somewhere I feel Kohli knows who it should be,” the former captain further added.

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