Ravi Shastri Wants Shreyas Iyer To Bat At Number 4 After Virat Kohli's Backing for Rishabh Pant

Despite losing a World Cup due to weak middle-order, the Indian team does not seem to have inked on a number four batsman. After being reappointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, Ravi Shastri has backed Shreyas Iyer to bat at number 4 position. His comment has come just a week after Virat Kohli backed Rishabh Pant to bat at number four.

“That’s true but at the same time we have a good One-day setup that will continue. One of the areas we concentrated on over the last two years was to blood as many youngsters as possible. Shreyas Iyer, for instance, he is going to stay at No. 4. There are more youngsters who will get a look-in. There’s an awesome amount of talent coming through the ranks,” he told TOI in a recent interview.

Shastri’s comment comes in direct contrast with that of Kohli, who had backed Rishabh to be at that position. It’s not the first tie that Shastri is of a different opinion.

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Earlier this year, Shastri had backed Kohli to bat at number 4 but Kohli had backed Ambati Rayudu to hold that position. In the end, neither of the two batted at number four as Rayudu got dropped while Kohli continued to bat at number three.  KL Rahul stared at number four during World Cup before Rishabh came in.

India do not play an ODI till the month of December and in all likeliness, the T20I series against South Africa and Bangladesh will have a larger say in who will be batting at four in that series.

In the two completed ODI against West Indies, Rishabh batted at number four, scoring 20 and first-ball duck. Shreyas Iyer scored twin half-centuries in two chances, assisting Kohli well on both the occasions.

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It remains to be seen if it will be Rishabh or Iyer who will get a chance to be at number four. The problem emerged after 2017 Champion Trophy. On the road to the World Cup, many batsmen auditioned for the spot and still, India have not found any replacement.