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The Indian Cricket Team has been in search of a perfect No.4 batsman for quite some time. With the top 3 slots confirmed without any scope for change, it is the vital No.4 slot that has been used as the circus slot to introduce newcomers and debutants. The story has been such that 9 different batsmen have been tried at the No.4 spot by the Indian team management ever since the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
This article is an attempt at understanding which Indian batsmen have had success batting at No.4 slot in One-day Internationals for India. For the purpose of this article, we have taken all the series played by India after the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Out of the 13 series played by India during this period, 10 series had ODI matches.
Let us see which Indian batsmen have been better at No.4 Slot for Indian national team in the run-up to the ICC World Cup 2019 based on their batting average at No.4 position.
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#9 Kedar Jadhav
Kedar Jadhav has not been given a long run at this slot in any series. He has in total played 3 matches, one each against New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka. He has returned with below par figures of 12, 5*, 1 respectively in the 3 matches totaling 18 runs at an average of 9.
The fact remains that Jadhav has been used at this slot as a makeshift player whenever the team experiments in the middle of the series. While Jadhav has shown off his finishing skills in the lower middle order with his unorthodox shots, he has not been the No.4 batsman India is searching for.
With an average of 9, Kedar Jadhav is at No.9 in our list of the best No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team.
#8 KL Rahul
KL Rahul was preferred for the slot in one match in the Indian tour of Sri Lanka in August 2017 when he scored 17 runs. He was then called to play at this slot after almost a year when India toured England in July 2018. Rahul played 2 matches in that series scoring 9* and a duck before being replaced by Dinesh Karthik for the third ODI. The total runs scored by him at this position comes to 26 runs at an average of 13.
Potential has never been a question for Rahul. But with his poor run of form continuing from the Australian series and with his off-field character under question, it remains unlikely that he will be looked at as a prime candidate for the No.4 slot now.
With an average of 13, KL Rahul is at No.8 in our list of the best No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team.
#7 Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey was given a chance at this position in the last ODI match of the India tour of Sri Lanka, 2017, and he showed glimpses of promise when he scored 36 runs in the match. He was given an extended run at the spot in the next series when Australia toured India in September 2017.
In the first 2 matches, he returned with figures of 0 and 3 forcing the team management to replace him with Hardik Pandya. The total runs scored by him at this slot comes to 39 runs at an average of 13.
Manish Pandey is another cricketer who showed much promise but is yet to live up to the expectations. But with age on his side, Manish Pandey can surely force a comeback to the Indian side anytime soon. But for now, he does not seems to be in the radar of the prime candidates for the No.4 slot.
With an average of 13, Manish Pandey is at No.7 in our list of the best No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team.
#6 Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh was the No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and in the series that followed when India toured West Indies in June 2017. Yuvraj Singh played as the No.4 batsman in 2 ODI matches in that tour and returned with scores of 4 and 39 totaling 43 runs at an average of 21.5. He was then overlooked when the team management started to experiment at this slot with Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik in the same series.
Once again, Yuvraj Singh has found himself out of favor with the selectors after an impressive comeback to the international cricket. He might not be expecting a callback to the national team to take over the no.4 slot for India. But with Mumbai Indians picking him to be their middle order mainstay, a terrific IPL season might make the selectors think twice.
With an average of 21.5, Yuvraj Singh is at No.6 in our list of the best No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team.
#5 Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya is the perhaps the batsman whose position has been the most experimented with in recent times. He has got his chances on and off at the No.4 slot depending on the match condition. He was first tried in the India tour of West Indies in 2017 where he played one ODI as the No.4 batsman scoring 4 runs. He was then once again experimented in the Sri Lanka tour for a match when he scored 19 runs.
Most of the success he has had at this spot came up in the subsequent Australian tour of India when he scored 78 and 41 in the 2 matches that he was given. But the team management decided to replace him with Dinesh Karthik in the very next ODI instead of persisting with him.
He was given one more opportunity when New Zealand toured India where he scored 8 runs. He was never chosen to be the No.4 batsman ever since then. In total, he has scored 150 runs at an average of 30 as the no.4 batsman for India.
Hardik Pandya is someone with more than enough potential to be the No.4 solution for India. But with the recent injuries plaguing him and his off-field character being put under question, he might have to wait for some time to regain his flamboyance.
With an average of 30, Hardik Pandya is at No.5 in our list of the best No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team.
#4 Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was the No.4 batsman in all the 5 ODI matches of the India tour of South Africa in February 2018. Now with almost a year gone by, he is nowhere in the picture of the race to the ICC World Cup 2019.
However, the fact remains that he has not fared too badly when compared to many other experimental players tried at this slot. In the 5 matches of the series, Rahane came up with figures of 34*, 79,11, 8 and 8 totaling 140 runs at an average of 35.
The selectors and the management decided then that an average of 35 is not good enough for an Indian No.4 batsman and went after a host of players who are still yet to match this batting average. One of the main criticisms that Rahane had to encounter has been his slow scoring rate. He will be looking forward to addressing that issue in the upcoming IPL to show the selectors that he can be the perfect No.4 batsman for India.
With an average of 35, Ajinkya Rahane is at No.4 in our list of the best No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team.
#3 Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu is the latest recruit played at the slot by the Indian team management. He was tried by the team when West Indies toured India and he played 4 decent knocks of 22,73,22 and 100. It was then thought that the Indian problem of the no.4 slot was solved until India toured Australia.
In Australia, he played 2 matches scoring 0 and 24 and was replaced by MS Dhoni at the no.4 slot for the final ODI. Rayudu sealed the No.4 slot in his name with the New Zealand tour where he came up with impressive knocks of 13*, 47, 40*, 0 and 90. In total, he has scored 431 runs at an average of 40.16.
Rayudu is someone with great potential and needs to be given a fair run at this slot for India. With an average of 47.89, Ambati Rayudu is at No.3 in our list of the best No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team.
#2 Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik also has got a fair amount of chances at this slot before him becoming a contender for the No.5 and No.6 slot of the Indian cricket team. He played 2 ODI matches in the India tour of West Indies with scores of 2 and 50*. He then played a match as the no,4 batsmen when New Zealand toured India and he scored 64*.
When Sri Lanka toured India, he scored 0 and 26* as the No.4 batsman and when India toured England, he was given one opportunity and scored 21 runs. in total, he scored 163 runs at an average of 54.33.
The fact remains that he has an impressive batting average at the No.4 slot for India having played 6 matches during this period. But the team management feels that Karthik is better suited to play as a finisher at No.6, as evidenced by Virat Kohli's opinions in recent press conferences.
With an average of 54.33, Dinesh Karthik is at No.2 in our list of the best No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team.
#1 MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni is another addition to the list of players tried out at No.4 position. He played a very impressive 87* against Australia which grabbed the eyes of many of his critics. Apart from that match-winning knock, he has played as the No.4 batsman when Sri Lanka toured India, scoring 7 runs. In total, MS Dhoni has only played 2 ODI matches scoring 94 runs at an average of 94.
Though 2 matches are not an indicator for a long term solution, the signs are there that Dhoni could be the perfect person to guide the team through rough weather in the ICC World Cup 2019. Dhoni needs to be given a few more opportunities at this slot to showcase to the world that he is not just a finisher anymore and can drop anchor and build the innings at one end.
With an average of 94, MS Dhoni is at No.1 in our list of the best No.4 batsman of the Indian cricket team.
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