Three options for India's Middle Order

In Test Cricket, India’s middle order has never been an issue. The team has always had the middle-order batsmen of a certain caliber. Yet, this has not been the case in ODI cricket. Previously, the strategy of the team was to play typical test middle-order batsmen in those spots in ODI Cricket.

However, as the ODI game has changed over the years, India has struggled to come up with answers. India moved their best batsmen to the top order, as the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly became opening batsmen in that format. The only consistent players in the middle order were Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni.

Now in this latest generation, India has a brilliant top order in Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. Yet the middle order problem remains: who can be a possible reliable option at No.4 and No.5.

In the first two ODIs against England, Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri opted for KL Rahul and Suresh Raina at those spots. Yet this approach’s issues was evident in the second ODI when both Rahul and Raina failed, as India struggled to chase England’s 322. This is a problem that can’t be fixed with a short-term lens- that approach has already failed.

So what are some long-term solutions to this issue, with an eye towards the 2019 World Cup?

Play MS Dhoni at 4 and add a Finisher

This is a potential change that has been discussed for a long time. At the start of his career, Dhoni was a blazing pinch-hitter who was outstanding at No.3. Later on, as he assumed the captaincy, Dhoni moved down the order to become the world’s best “finisher”.

Yet as was made clear by the ODI on Saturday, Dhoni cannot live up to that role anymore. In fact, the former captain has not hit a fifty with 100+ strike rate since the Champions Trophy. However, this does not mean that Dhoni isn’t valuable to the side anymore.

As he proved in the IPL, Dhoni can still be valuable to a world-class limited overs side, if he plays at No.4. In that role, Dhoni can be the accumulator (which he showed in the second ODI). He can nudge singles and grab the occasional boundary, while also providing additional solidity to the middle order.

Such a move would also allow India to play an additional finisher like Dinesh Karthik (or possibly Ambati Rayudu who isn’t in the squad). This would perhaps allow India to reach the 350+ totals that have become so crucial in the modern ODI game. One issue with this would be the fact that Dhoni has often been vulnerable to quality swing or spin bowling, problematic for a No. 4 batsmen.

Play Virat Kohli at Four and add a Top-Order Batsman

Virat Kohli began his career as a No.4, and there is certainly an argument that India’s captain should return to that spot. The Men in Blue have a paucity of natural top-order batsmen and they could play to that strength. It is an experiment that was briefly attempted (before being prematurely jettisoned) in India’s ODI series against South Africa in 2015.

By fitting in an additional top-order batsman, India would also be able to nullify the impact of traditional swing bowling, especially in English conditions. After all, both openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan (along with occasional lapses by Kohli) are vulnerable to quality pace bowling.

It would also allow India to play the likes of KL Rahul or Ajinkya Rahane in their natural spot as top-order batsmen. Both Rahul and Rahane are technically adept players who can handle English conditions- Rahane has a test hundred at Lord’s. The addition of such a batsman would reduce the pressure on Kohli to get a big hundred, especially in chases.

However, this approach may not be chosen by the Indian team management, simply because it may result in a misuse of Kohli’s generational talents. Kohli is one of the best batsmen in the world and you want him to bat as many overs as possible- placing him one spot down the order will not do that. Nonetheless, this is a move that the management should at least consider.

Trust Shreyas Iyer in the Middle Order

Modern middle-order batting in ODIs requires a special skill. A skilled middle-order batsman needs the technical ability to handle quality bowling. The role also requires a batsman with the power and timing to help finish innings when needed. Thankfully for India, they have the exact young batsman for that role in their squad.

Shreyas Iyer has been one of the best batsmen in first-class cricket over the past three seasons. That record (along with his performances for India A sides) show that he has the required technical ability to deal with quality bowling.

At the same time, Iyer is an adventurous batsman who bats extremely quickly with a strike-rate of more than 80 even in first-class cricket. This was evident in the past IPL season, where Iyer scored 411 runs at an excellent average of 37.36 and an impressive strike-rate of 132.58. This ability to accelerate will serve India well if they choose to trust the young batsman in the middle order.

In fact, Iyer has already shown his quality in ODI cricket, scoring two fifties in five innings. To trust a relatively inexperienced player like Iyer one year before a World Cup may seem like a controversial move, but it was the very same move that India made in 2010. The young batsman on that occasion? Virat Kohli.