West Indies vs India 2019: Why KL Rahul is India's ideal No. 4 for the ODI series
India completed a 3-0 whitewash against the West Indies in the recently concluded T20I series. In the process they also became the first team to beat the current World T20 champions in six consecutive T20Is.
Now the focus shifts to the ODI series, which will begin at Guyana on Thursday.
India had a good World Cup campaign as they lost only one game in the league stage and finished at the top of the table. The major talking point during the tournament and before the semi-final was India's middle-order, especially the number four position. The lack of a steady middle-order was one of the reasons behind India's exit from the tournament.
India picked Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer for the ODI series. However, it might be a better idea for the visitors to go with KL Rahul for the much-debated No. 4 position.
The right-hander had a decent outing at this position during the first few games in the World Cup. But Shikhar Dhawan's injury forced India to promote him as the opener, and now Dhawan's comeback might force Rahul to drop down to the middle order again.
Rahul is yet to establish himself at the number four position in ODI cricket. The right-hander has got only four opportunities to play for India at that position. But it would be advisable for the Indian team management to give him a long rope at that position to see the actual output.
They have already suffered greatly by dropping players after a few poor performances; that was one of the primary reasons why the Indian team still has an unstable middle order. The fans would be hoping that they don't make a similar mistake again.
India does have other candidates in the form of Maniesh Pandey and Shreyas Iyer, who have done well exceedingly well in domestic cricket.
However, it may not be a good idea to draft them in the team as that could have an adverse effect on the performance of Rahul. It would dent the confidence of Rahul, who has been in and out of the side a number of times.
The management should try and make things clear for Rahul, who has an abundance of talent. Either he should be considered as a backup opener or a middle-order batsman; he can't be left in no-man's-land for too long.
Moreover, too many changes affect the stability of the team. Considering all these factors, India should stick to same the middle order as there was at the start of the World Cup - at least till the end of the home season.
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