Why Rohit Sharma is the solution for India's number 4 woes

The Indian ODI side has been dominant against all the oppositions they have faced over the last 18 months. The Men in Blue have made sure that they go into the 2019 World Cup as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

One of the main reasons behind the Indian juggernaut in the format of late is having a specialist for every single position to have almost all the bases covered.

Having said that, there is just one concern for the Men in Blue going into the 2019 World Cup: the inconsistent middle order, especially the number four slot that has been haunting Virat Kohli and co. for a while.

Though the management tried out a handful of batsmen, none of them was given a long enough rope because they failed to meet the demands for the number 4 spot.

One name they are yet to try at that position is Rohit Sharma. Playing Rohit at number four and making someone like Ajinkya Rahane open won't be a bad choice ahead of the 2019 World Cup as the team management is yet to find the right combination in the middle order.

Yes, Rohit's numbers are phenomenal at the top of the order and it is almost impossible to make him bat at number 4. But, if the team needs a player to bat in a different position, the player has to oblige for the betterment of the team. After all, cricket is a team game and the case shouldn't be different with Rohit.

Let us take a look at five reasons why Rohit should bat at number 4 for India ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

Note: This is irrespective of his form as an opener.

#5 Familiar with the position

Rohit is not a stranger to the middle order in ODIs

The middle order is not an unknown territory for Rohit Sharma as he started his career as a middle-order batsman before MS Dhoni promoted him to open the innings. Rohit has batted in the middle order on 70 occasions and has managed to score 1847 runs at an average of 34.20 and a strike-rate of 80.

At number 4, the right-hander has managed to score 715 runs in 25 innings at an average of 32 and a strike-rate of 79. These numbers are nowhere close to his overall record of 6464 runs in 172 innings at an average of 45 with a strike-rate of 87.

But, the Rohit Sharma of 2018 is more matured than the Rohit Sharma of 2012 and knows what exactly he needs to do when he comes out to bat. Rather than trying a handful of names and failing to find the perfect fit for the position, it won't be a bad idea to try the Mumbaikar at number 4.

Five years back, MS Dhoni saved Rohit's career by making him open the batting for India. Now, it is Rohit's turn to give something back to the team and be the solution to their number 4 woes.

#4 A more stable middle order

Kohli at number 3 and Rohit at number 4 is not a bad idea after all

The Indian ODI batting line-up has been following a certain pattern over the last five years. The top-order of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli has been doing a majority of the damage with the bat and they make sure that one of them stays till the 45th over at least to guide the team to a decent position.

Because of this, the middle order is hardly tested and when the top-order fails collectively on some occasions, the middle order gets exposed and more often than not, the batsmen fail to deliver.

Rather than playing musical chairs with the spot, the team management should give Rohit at least a chance at the position. The Mumbaikar at four, followed by MS Dhoni at five, Hardik Pandya at six and Kedar Jadhav at seven respectively will make the middle order a bit more stable and will help all the players involved.

#3 Can accelerate with ease

No one in the Indian team can accelerate the scoring rate like Rohit Sharma

The batsmen who have been tried at number 4 over the last few months, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Ajinkya Rahane etc., found it hard to take on the bowling right from ball one.

Adding to that, even after spending good enough time at the crease and getting their eyes in, they are unable to step on the accelerator more often than not.

Rohit, on the other hand, has the ability to go after the bowling right from ball one. Moreover, he is also capable of anchoring the innings and shift gears without any difficulty towards the death overs.

#2 Takes his vulnerability against new ball out of equation

Opener Rohit Sharma takes his time initially and once he is set, he can make up for the slow starts with ease

Ever since Rohit started opening the batting in ODIs, he has been one of the most consistent batsmen across the world. In spite of his recent failures, he is still, arguably, the best opening batsman in ODIs. The right-hander has scored 4497 runs in 93 innings at an average of over 51 and a strike-rate of 92 as an opener for the Men in Blue.

Out of the 93 innings he has opened in, the 30-year-old has crossed the 50-run mark on 36 occasions which shows how good he is as an opener. One of the key aspects of his game in ODIs is the temperament he shows against the new ball.

However, he is vulnerable to the moving ball and often starts slow to tackle the swing and then compensates for the slow start later in the innings. Rohit batting at number 4 will make sure that he won't be facing the moving ball every time he walks out to bat and thus takes one of his main weaknesses out of the equation.

#1 Easier to get replacement for opening than number 4

Rahane is a better bet at the top of the order than at number 4

Since the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, as many as 10 batsmen (Yuvraj Singh, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Shreyas Iyer, MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane) have been tried at the number 4 slot but none of them looked convincing.

On the other hand, in the absence of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane scored a lot of runs against West Indies as an opener. Even when Shikhar Dhawan was out of action during the series against Australia in 2017, Rahane scored four consecutive fifties in as many matches at the top of the order. Without a doubt, he looks more composed opening the batting than batting at number 4.

Rohit batting in the middle order will make the job easier for Kohli and the team management. It is easier for them to find an opener (Rahane with KL Rahul as the back-up) to partner to Shikhar Dhawan than it is to find a new number 4.