While all the bases of team India seem to be covered, the jigsaw puzzle is not complete yet as they continue to search for their ideal candidate for the much sought after Number 4 batting spot in the middle order.
It is no hidden secret that the Indian Top 3 of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli form arguably a lethal top order in white ball cricket and their jaw dropping numbers in ODI cricket are a testimony to how much of a role they have played in India's success over the past seasons.
However when it comes to the middle order, the prolific run scorer Virat Kohli seems to be lacking company at the other end to hold the innings together in the crucial middle phases of the innings.
In all honesty, it has very much been a case of skipper Kohli single handedly building a platform, stepping up the chase and taking India across the finishing line many a times. There has been support but it has been rather far and few.
The gritty and Ambati Rayadu impressed with his stint at the No.4 position before the 2019 ICC World Cup but went completely out of favour after getting the snub in India's squad for the showpiece event. Before Rayadu, the technically correct Ajinkya Rahane seemed the man to play the sheet anchor's role at the No.4 slot but he did not find his groove in the rapid paced ODI format.
Then there have been the likes of Manish Pandey and KL Rahul who showcased potential but failed to perform. Some would defend their case suggesting that perhaps they did not get a long enough rope. At last India's ever dependable finisher MS Dhoni was promoted up the order to fix a gaping hole, but only for a brief period. However. Dhoni's pace of scoring runs diminished quite a bit and questions were raised about his effectiveness at the spot.
Team India's latest man over of moving the hard hitting wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant up the order hasn’t paid much dividends as the young wicket-keeper has found the going tough in a position where he quite can’t express his natural freedom. Shreyas Iyer seems to have the technique and temperament to play at the position but can he deliver at the very highest level of cricket, remains a big question.
The Number 4 batting problem been not been a headache which has just gripped the Indian team. As a matter of fact, it has been a long standing problem which only had temporary fixes.
One won’t be wrong in saying that after the wristy strokemaker Mohammad Azharuddin who made the position his own in the mid and late 90s, the 'Men in Blue' have struggled to have a steady Number 4 in their batting ranks. Post Azhar's farewell from, the selfless Rahul Dravid fared quite well batting at No. 4 and enjoyed decent success racking up over 3000 runs at a healthy average.
For most part of Ganguly era, the flamboyant Yuvraj Singh did justice batting at No.4 but then settled into the role of a finisher par excellence with compatriot Mohammad Kaif. Once 'Yuvi' faded away from the scene, Indians have struggled to find their best Number 4.
Indian cricket has gone from strength to strength largely on the back of a collective team effort. While the seam bowling attack has become more well rounded with a fierce competition among seamers, the batting remains heavily dependent on the Top 3.
Perhaps a stark reminder came when India faltered big time against New Zealand in the 2019 ICC World Cup semis when the top three fell early to a fiery spell by the Kiwis seamers . Over dependency can hurt a team at the most crucial juncture and the same happened to pre-tournament favourites India.
The Indian team think tank has to sooner or later fix the Number 4 batting , else we ought to falter at major ICC tournaments where we lock horns against the best among the rest.