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

#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.