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3 players who can replace injured Shreyas Iyer at No. 4 in ODI World Cup 2023
The ODI World Cup 2023 is just months away with the first game between England and New Zealand scheduled to take place on October 5. The cricketing mega-event will be solely hosted by India this year. However, the hosts have a few problems to sort out before they start their World Cup campaign. The issue at the No. 4 position has been a thorn in their side. With Shreyas Iyer’s availability still a blurry topic, here are three possible options for India to try out for the No. 4 role.
3. Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav is India’s Mr. 360. He can play shots all around the park. But he is a T20 batter in the purest form. His numbers in ODIs have been extremely disappointing that is something the Mumbai Indians batter has admitted himself. That is the reason why he finishes at the bottom of the list. According to reports, ‘SKY’ has been undergoing special training and batting drills to help him adapt to the requirements of the 50-over format. If he does get a chance in the upcoming Asia Cup, it would be a good platform to try out his fit.
2. Tilak Varma
Tilak Varma (Source – Twitter)
On number two, we have a breakout star from Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and surprisingly, another Mumbai Indians batter. Tilak Varma has been one of the finds of the season in IPL and the young batter has performed with the same consistency and intent on his debut international series against West Indies. He scored 39, 51, and 49* in the three innings he has played so far. However, unlike Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma has proved effective for Hyderabad across formats in domestic cricket. That is why he gets a position higher than ‘SKY’ on this list.
1. Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan in 3rd ODI against West Indies (Source – Twitter)
India’s most successful experiment from the recently concluded ODIs against West Indies, Ishan Kishan, is by far the best option for India at No. 4. The emerging wicketkeeper batter opened the innings for India and scored three half-centuries in three games. However, being a wicketkeeper batter, he has notable experience of batting in the middle order. Moreover, his recent performances in the T20Is against West Indies clearly show that he is much more at home when playing in the 50-over format. His fit must be checked in the upcoming Asia Cup and the ODIs against Australia ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023.