Ambati Rayudu, Vijay Shankar, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, K.L. Rahul... Team India's search for the No. 4 batter has been on for years now. Skipper Rohit Sharma had a point when, recently, he said that India had not had a proper No. 4 since Yuvraj Singh.
So, what does one of India's greatest No. 4 and all-rounders has to say about this seemingly never-ending wait?
“India want K.L. Rahul to bat at No. 4 now. They have to give him 15-20 games in that position,” Yuvraj Singh told THE WEEK in an exclusive interview. “In the Asia Cup, coming back from injury, he scored a 100. On a spinning track [in Colombo, against Sri Lanka] he scored a vital 39 runs. He is looking good right now, so they need to stick with him at N0. 4.”
Regarding the crucial No. 4 batting position, which was his during his playing days, Yuvraj Singh had this to say: “No. 4 is a crucial position, especially if the openers get out cheaply. No. 4 batsman needs to have the technique to leave the ball, play the short ball well, and try and create partnerships.”
He expressed concern over the constant chopping and changing. “After I was dropped from the team, they experimented with Ambati Rayudu. He got a 90-odd in New Zealand, and when he didn't get runs against Australia, just before the World Cup, they just dropped him.”
Yuvraj Singh recalled that the highest score by a No. 4 batsman for India in the last World Cup was 48 by Pandya. “And then they kept on changing... Vijay Shankar... and got Rishabh Pant with no experience,” he told THE WEEK. “You can't go to a World Cup with guys who don't have any experience. Before our first World Cup, I had played 35 games and [Mohammed] Kaif nearly 25 games.”
For the full interaction with Yuvraj Singh where he talks about the possible No. 4s in the Indian team, the 2011 World Cup campaign, the all-rounders and the current Indian stars, especially Shubman Gill, grab the latest issue of THE WEEK (issue dated October 8), on stands now.
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