Ravichandran Ashwin Can Be Given An Opportunity To Bat At Number 4 In ODIs: Gautam Gambhir

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels India should try off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin at number four in ODI.

The number four spot has been a major area of concern for the team for quite some time now. It is the link between the top-order and the lower middle-order and the right man needs to occupy it in order to keep the balance of the playing XI intact.

But while India’s top-order has been in red-hot form for quite some time now and the middle-order is taken care of well by the ever-reliable MS Dhoni, the number four spot has given the team-management a big headache. The Indian camp has been experimenting extensively since the second half of last year but without much success. Going back to the Sri Lankan tour in July-August last year, through the ODI series against Australia and New Zealand, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik and Ajinkya Rahane were tried at that position but none of them managed to impress.

The latest to enter the number four spot roulette is KL Rahul. In the first two ODIs against England, he was given the responsibility to bat at that crucial position. However, the right-hander has failed to justify the decision so far, scoring 9 and 0.

And Gambhir feels India can try out Ashwin at that position.

“I’ll probably back Ashwin to play and Hardik to bat at six if given that responsibility. Ashwin can bat at seven or four as well. KL Rahul can bat at five and Dhoni at six and maybe Hardik at seven as well. You’ve got three quality spinners for that matter. You’ve got Ashwin, Kuldeep, and Chahal as well. Maybe Ashwin or Jadeja can be given the responsibility to bat at four,” Gambhir told Cricbuzz.

Gambhir went on to say that playing Ashwin at number 4 would also give another quality option with the ball.

“Someone batting at four will be an accumulator as well. He’s not someone who’ll give you a 60-ball or a 70-ball hundred. Even if he chips in with 30 to 40 runs at run-a-ball then you’ve got the firepower with Hardik, Rahul, and MS Dhoni to come as the finisher as well. It gives you a sixth bowling option and you’ve got a proper quality attack,” he added.

Ashwin along with Ravindra Jadeja has fallen down the pecking order in limited-over in recent times as the team-management has pinned its hopes on Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. And as far as Ashwin’s batting credentials are concerned, one cannot doubt them. He has hit 4 centuries and 11 fifties in Tests as well as one fifty in ODIs. He, however, played his last ODI during the West Indies tour last year and looks likely to remain out of the ODI team for the coming days.