World Cup 2019: It’s time for India to give the No.4 position to a proper batsman

India has looked the most complete side in the 2019 ICC World Cup so far. If their batsmen won them the first three games, their bowlers have won them the last two, when the batting line-up could not amass the kind of totals that take the game away from the opposition.

However, there is one position that needs to be looked at and serious consideration must be given to fix it for good, before the knock-out stage starts. That is the No.4 position, currently occupied by Vijay Shankar.

There is no doubt that Shankar is a talented all-rounder, and in the last one year, has been possibly the most improved Indian player. Having said that, it needs to be asked: Is he the best bet at No.4 position?

In the matches he has played so far, he has not looked very convincing, especially when the first two wickets have gone relatively quickly.

During the IPL, his weakness against spin was a cause of concern. And in the current tournament, he has found it difficult to rotate the strike, against good pace bowling.

Except that one crucial breakthrough against Pakistan when he replaced the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the middle of an over, Kohli has not felt the necessity of using his bowling. That fifth bowler duty has largely been given to the more established all-rounder in the side – Hardik Pandya.

Right now, India has four high quality frontline bowlers – two seamers and two spinners. The fifth bowler position can be shared by Pandya and Kedar Jadhav, when necessary. What India needs now is a proper batsman at number four.

In that respect, the two players warming the bench, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant, are both superior batsmen to Shankar.

If the team management wants to have an experienced hand at No.4, then they should bring in Karthik. But if they want to bring in a left-hander to the equation, since the Indian batting order has no left-hander after the Shikhar Djawan injury, then they can bring in Pant.

Either way, it’s time for India to have a proper batsman to give more power and stability to Indian batting, especially since the Indian tail is a rather longish one, after Shami has replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar at No.8!

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