5 reasons why Ajinkya Rahane should play the ODI series against Sri Lanka

#2 The infamous number 4 conundrum

Rahane at number 4 can bring stability to the middle-order

Although India has been doing well in ODI cricket, it has been plagued by the now infamous number 4 batsman problem. Kohli's absence at the number 3 spot will further aggravate the worries.

In his 20 ODI innings for India at number 4, Rahane has scored 703 runs at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 85.

Dinesh Karthik averages nearly 40 from 12 innings but has very low a strike rate of 68. Manish Pandey has an average of 36 and a strike rate of 92 from 7 innings. Kedar Jadhav in his short stint at number 4 has scored only 18 runs from three innings.

India will have to select at least three from Rahane, Iyer, Karthik, and Pandey, and the numbers are in favour of Rahane to make the playing XI.