In the 2019 World Cup, New Zealand cricket defeated beat Virat Kohli-led team India in a nerve-wrecking semi-final encounter at Old Trafford in Manchester to secure a berth in the title clash of the marquee event against England. Defending a 239-run total, the Kiwis bowled out India for 221.
Team India's former opener Sunil Gavaskar feels absence of a dependable and strong batsman at Number 4 spot is the reason why team India got knocked out from the 2019 World Cup. Gavaskar also believes captain Virat Kohli needs a World Cup title in his trophy cabinet to cement his legacy.
"A captain is defined by the world championships/world cups that he wins. You can win the Asia Cup which is fantastic, but you also want to win World Cups because that is where you're standing as a captain is going to be enhanced," Gavaskar said on the latest episode of India Today E-Inspiration.
Team India top order or the first three batsman -- Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli -- have managed to give a great start to their team while batting first or chasing the score. But, if the first three wickets fall cheaply then who's going to bat at number 4 to steady India's sinking ship has always been a problem for the Men in Blue. Several batsmen have auditioned for the post but have only failed.
Gavaskar feels the reason behind team India's exit from the 50-over World Cup is 'not having a proper batsman at No. 4'.
"India's top-3 batting lineup is such a fabulous batting lineup that often it has happened that numbers 4 and 5 at the initial stages of the World Cups haven't got the opportunity to play long innings, to get their eye in.
"Suddenly when your top-3 are dismissed cheaply, and that can happen in the odd match, unfortunately for India it has happened in a knockout game and that is where number 4, 5 and 6 haven't been able to cope with the loss of your earlier prolific batsmen.
"What we need to look at is to have somebody at 4, 5 and 6 who are very good batsmen, who would otherwise bat at the top but because 1, 2 and 3 are occupied they are batting in the middle-order. We made a mistake by not having a proper No. 4 at the 2019 World Cup. If we had had a proper No. 4 for the World Cup then it might have been a completely different story," Gavaskar said.