ICC World Cup 2019: "We have enough players to bat at number 4," says Ravi Shastri
What's the story?
India coach Ravi Shastri feels that India has enough options for the number four batting position. He also said that the team management is looking at Vijay Shankar as the most preferable option to bat at no.4 in World Cup 2019.
In case you didn't know...
India's no. 4 is probably the most talked about thing prior to the World Cup. The Men in Blue tried various players such as Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu and Manish Pandey, but none of them delivered consistent performances to keep their place in the playing XI.
The heart of the matter
Talking to Cricket Next, the Indian head coach felt that India had many options to bat at the No.4 position in the mega event. The team management was not really worried about this as there was enough flexibility in the team.
"I don't think so because for me we are a flexible team. Its horses for courses, we have got enough ammunition there, enough players who can bat at 4. So, I am not really worried about that."
Shastri also seemed quite confident about the squad that has been selected,
"I think we have got all bases covered, really. The last thing you want is passengers on the tour. You want to have in those 15 players -- a player who can play anytime, at any given time."
Ravi Shastri also said that Team India tried many options for the number four since the 2017 Champions trophy, and none of them clicked. However, from the current squad, Vijay Shankar would be an ideal option for this batting position in English conditions.
What's next?
Interestingly, Vijay Shankar has never batted at number 4 in his short career. But the Tamil Nadu all-rounder did impress with his technique in his short ODI career. The right-hander has played only five ODI innings and managed to score 165 runs. We will have to wait to see how he is going to perform for India.
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