India’s middle-order conundrum still seems to be chasing them down. Filling the No. 4 spot has proved harder than one thought. Since the 2015 World Cup, India has rotated over a dozen players at this all-important anchor position, and no one has been able to exact the role yet.
In the 2011 World Cup, India had their openers sorted in Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. Gautam Gambhir stepped in next (9 out of 10 times) followed by the likes of Kohli, Raina, Yuvraj and Dhoni. It is important to note that the squad had players who could ease into any role. Even Yusuf Pathan could be thrown into the mix at any given point. It was more about playing the situation than the position.
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In the 2015 World Cup, India had their openers sorted in Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Ajinkya Rahane stepped in next (9 out of 10 times) followed by the likes of Kohli, Raina, Dhoni and Jadeja. There was again a sense of stability in the team.
As we build towards the 2019 World Cup, India have tried players like Manish Pandey, KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Ajinkya Rahane and even Hardik Pandya (from the current crop of players). But no one has been able to instill the confidence the captain is perhaps searching for. So much so that even MS Dhoni could be considered as a viable option. With the top order firmly in place, the No. 4, 5 and 6 spots are still up for grabs.
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But as India continues to play the middle-order Roulette, the most notable point of separation from the aforementioned ‘Cups’ is that the changes are currently coming from outside the playing XI.
– Varun Kumar | SpreadSports
