Opinion: Problem areas aplenty for the Men in Blue before the World Cup

The riddle at number 4

Ambati Rayudu

The likes of Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik, and Ambati Rayudu have all tried their luck at number 4, but without much success. At a recent press conference before the commencement of the ODI series against the West Indies, the Indian skipper Virat Kohli backed Ambati Rayudu at number 4.

Rayudu is only one of the three Indian batsmen to have scored a century at the number 4 position since the 2015 World Cup. The other two batters to have scored a century at number four are Yuvraj Singh and Manish Pandey.

With all the experience under his belt, Rayudu is India’s best bet at 4 keeping in mind the performance of other batsmen. At an average of over 50, Rayudu brings a wealth of consistency and temperament into the side.

Some would argue that bringing in the likes of youngsters such as Pant and Iyer at 4 would be a better idea, but given Rayudu’s returns with the willow in hand in the recent past, it certainly would be no hyperbole to say that he is India’s best bet at the aforementioned position.

The additional bowler?

A big worry for the Men in Blue in the past one year has been their inability to find batsmen who can bowl. Kedar Jadhav came as a breath of fresh air to break the monotony. Baring Jadhav, no other batsman in the middle order can bowl.

Hardik Pandya, with his medium pace, is a good enough bowler to bowl 5-6 overs at a stretch, but he still isn’t consistent enough to be handling the role of a full-fledged fifth bowler. In Pandya absence, Ravindra Jadeja, with all his experience, has stormed back into the team on the back of some impressive performances, both with the bat and the ball.

Having someone like Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI would not only add depth to the bowling reserves but would also infuse firepower into the fielding unit.

The bowlers cannot bat

Having batting depth has become pretty much necessity. Unfortunately for the Indian side, their bowlers haven’t been able to contribute much in the shorter formats of the game. Bhuvneshwar, Kuldeep, Chahal, and Bumrah form the Indian tail. Apart from Bhuvneshwar, who averages just over 14 in the ODIs, no other tailender is capable of contributing runs down the order.

With the margin of victories getting shorter with each passing game, you have score as many runs as possible.

Nurturing a few tailenders who can swing the willow must be on India’s to-do- list. The gulf between the batters and the bowlers is so vast that once the top 5 get out, the Indians aren’t left with much firepower.

Dhoni’s failure with the willow in hand

One of the finest finishers in the modern game, MS Dhoni has seen his finishing abilities waning on quite a few occasions in the recent past. In his last 13 ODI innings, Dhoni has failed to reach a 50+ score. A paltry 275 runs at an average of 25 (in 2018) throw ample light on Dhoni’s diminishing numbers.

Some say Dhoni’s contribution to Indian cricket is way more than the runs he scores, while others say that it is time that the Indians get used to life after Dhoni. With Rishabh Pant waiting in the wings, the opportunity is there for the taking. With Dhoni’s depleting returns with the bat hurting the Indian side, it is perhaps time for the Indians to look for greener pastures.