Stats: Is Ian Bell England's Rahul Dravid?

With Jonathan Trott opting out of the series, the No 3 is position is up for grabs in the England batting lineup. It will be interesting to see who will be nominated for this challenge. Jonny Bairstow might not have made his case for the promotion yet. Kevin Petersen has been playing at No 4 and he likes it there. The team management have made conscious decision to play Joe Root down order in this series, in spite of having a decent stint at the top of the order. So everything suggests that it would be Ian Bell who would be promoted to No 3.

He might not have had tremendous success at No 3 compared to No 5 and , however his ability to counter both – swing and bounce added with his experience that he has earned in 94 test matches would make a strong case for the role of No 3. His career best score of 235 was scored at No 3 against India at Kennington Oval in the year 2011. More importantly, he gives you this feel that he can do a Dravid - do what the team requires him to do.

Below is the statistical insights into his performance.

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suddenly england’s batting order unsettled. who plays at 3? guess ian bell has to step up. has played there before.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 25, 2013

I would leave Root in the middle .. He will eventually open so England should pick a long term No3.. That man is Ian Bell IMO.

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 27, 2013