Five challenges that await Ravi Shastri as India's new head coach

#2 Erasing the middle-order question mark

How long will Yuvraj be persisted with?

At this point in time, the mystery surrounding India’s middle order in limited overs cricket is greater than the Bermuda Triangle! Yuvraj Singh, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are all fighting for the No. 4 and No. 5 slots in India’s otherwise-potent batting order.

With the ICC World Cup 2019 looming large, it is important for Kohli and Shastri to develop a side that's tried, tested and ready for the impending tournament.

Rahane performed exceedingly well in the West Indies after warming the benches throughout the Champions Trophy. However, he was filling in for rested opener Rohit Sharma, and might not be able to adjust to a middle-order role.

Yuvraj scored a scintillating fifty against Pakistan in India’s opening game of the Champions Trophy but has struggled with the willow ever since. There is serious doubt hovering over his future in international cricket, and the tour to Sri Lanka might just be his last shot at redemption.

Rahul missed out on both the Champions Trophy and the West Indies tour owing to an injury and while he is back in the Test squad for the Sri Lankan tour, it will be interesting to see if he is named in the limited-overs squad.

Dhoni has been excellent with the gloves as usual but seems to have lost a smidgen of his batting prowess. Dinesh Karthik had a decent series in the West Indies and is likely to retain his No. 5 position in the batting unit, for now.

Meanwhile, the next generation is at the threshold in the form of Rishabh Pant.

Dealing with so many options is a headache that Kohli and Shastri would like to have. However, choosing the playing XI for different kinds of games is going to be quite a task for the duo. If they end up picking a particular player instead of another, they will receive flak from all corners. That’s the problem with being privy to too many choices.

Hence, Shastri needs to ensure that he gives an equal window of opportunity to all these players while trying to figure out who fits well into the current dynamic of the Indian batting order.