World Cup 2019: Why KL Rahul is the best option for the No. 4 slot in the Indian lineup

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KL Rahul

The conundrum of the No. 4 slot has been a big problem for India for a long time. The team hasn't found a permanent batsman at that position since Yuvraj Singh. They've tried as many as 12 batsmen at No. 4 since the 2015 World Cup, without much success.

In recent times Ambati Rayudu has been India's No. 4 batsman, and he was proving to be quite effective at that position. But a bad home series against Australia and a bad IPL 2019 was enough to put him out of the World Cup 2019 squad.

Rayudu averages 41.67 at No. 4, which is better than Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul and Vijay Shankar who have been selected in the squad.

Since Rayudu is not in the scene, let's focus on the players that are actually available. Out of all the options, the best solution seems to be KL Rahul. A century in the last warm-up match against Bangladesh means that Rahul might have sealed the No. 4 spot for the time being.

Rahul is a classic batsman who has been performing decently at the Test level while opening the innings. On his previous England tour, he hit a century on a seam- and swing-friendly pitch.

In ODI cricket Rahul has always been in the team as a reserve opener. And with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma being in superb form, he has got very few opportunities to play.

But India made a smart move by playing Rahul at No. 4 in the two warm-up matches ahead of Karthik and Shankar. In both the matches Rahul got a good opportunity to prove his worth, as the openers got out cheaply each time.

In the first match against New Zealand, Rahul couldn't survive long against the quality of Trent Boult. But in the second match, he showed his class and temperament.

Rahul's 108 against the decent bowling attack of Bangladesh was enough to show us that he is capable of performing the No. 4 role to perfection. India were in trouble at 102 for 4 in 22 overs but Rahul along with MS Dhoni rescued the situation and helped the team reach 359.

While unleashing a flurry of sweetly-timed strokes, Rahul also judged the situation on its merit and was excellent in rotating the strike.

Rahul is the ideal man from this squad to bat at No. 4 - not just because he smacked a century in the last warm-up match, but also because he has got the experience of playing in these English conditions. He has a Test century as well as a T20 century to his name playing in the country.

Although he scored those tons while batting as an opener, it can't be denied that Rahul has shown he has the ability to play big innings in swinging conditions.

India could get typical English conditions at various points during the ICC World Cup where the ball will move around a bit and wickets fall early against the new ball. Rahul's experience playing in the country would come in very handy on those occasions.

Even Virat Kohli gave an indication after the second warm-up game that Rahul might be the No. 4 for India in the tournament. Kohli said, "I think the biggest positive to come out was the way KL Rahul batted at four. It is important that he gets runs and he is a sound player to get the scoreboard ticking."

Of course, we should keep in mind that the World Cup is a long event and it may be too early to know whether Rahul will bat at No. 4 in all of the matches. He will have to be consistent enough throughout the tournament to keep Shankar and Karthik out.

For now though, thanks to the ton against Bangladesh, India can breathe easy ahead of the clash against South Africa on June 5.

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