India announced its 17-men squad for the upcoming Asia Cup yesterday, which will be starting from the 30th of August. The match will be hosted by dual nations, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
When the team was announced on Monday by Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar and Indian captain, Rohit Sharma a bunch of questions popped up seeing the overall structure of the squad. Rohit Sharma, who raised his query earlier in a press conference stated his situation related to the team when the team didn’t have the full manpower which could win oversea battles and major ICC tournaments. But as the team announced the return of Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah yesterday, it seemed like a major problem settling in.
The squad also announced some new talents like Shubhman Gill and Tilak Varma who will be playing their first Asia Cup this year. The batting backbone of the team seems to be sorting out but a major question which has again arisen after this announcement was – Who will bat at No.4?
After Rohit Sharma gives a sorted hint to the Indian media about the top three batting order line-up of the squad for the Asia squad, let’s have a quick read on the potential number 4 of the team which has been the question of the hour.
1. Suryakumar Yadav
The power hitter batsman of the squad who has till now gathered proper experience of batting at the no.4 spot for the national team will be one of the favourites for the team who can conquer the position in Sri Lanka. The player has been in thorough action with the national side after the past West Indies tour in which the player also played the role of the vice-captain. The player carries a strike rate of 101.39 with an average of 24.33.
2. KL Rahul
The wicketkeeper-batsman of the Indian national team who has been out of action due to his injury for the past 3 months will be seen again in the squad. The player has always been a run-getter for the squad and has shown his impact more around the South Asian arena. The batsman carries a strike rate of 86.57 and an average of 45.14. The player will be the first-choice keeper for the team but the overshadowing of the inconsistency is something we need to watch, which the player has delivered earlier.
3. Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer has not been in action after the Border-Gavaskar trophy which took place in March. The player missed the entire IPL and later the bilateral series which the team faced. But the player has been recalled again in this Asia Cup tenure of 2023. The player has an average of 46.6 with a strike rate of 96.5. Placing the player in the No.4 slot can be one more option.
4. Tilak Varma
The 20-year-old talented batsman who has been under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya in both IPL and in India has shown great class and style of play against the recent tour of West Indies. The style of play that the young player showed on the Caribbean soil evoked many hopes among the fans of India. Supporters all around the Indian soil have started raising questions about placing the player at the No. 4 spot.
The spot must find its owner soon as the Indian squad will soon be facing Pakistan on 2nd September.