India struggled in the 2019 World Cup in England because they did not have their starting XI ready even heading into the mega event. There was experimentation till the very end, even in team selection for the tournament, as Vijay Shankar was preferred ahead of Ambati Rayudu by the then-selectors for his “3-D” skills. With all due respect to Shankar, it was probably one of the worst decisions taken by any selector from any country, particularly keeping a massive event like the World Cup in mind. India’s experimentation continued at the 2019 World Cup, particularly with the crucial No. 4 slot. KL Rahul batted at that position in India’s first match of the competition against South Africa. In the next game against Australia, Hardik Pandya came in at the slot. Shankar also got his chance to bat at No. 4 before he got “injured”, and in the loss against England, Rishabh Pant was sent into bat at two down. He batted at the same position in the semis as well.
India did make it to the last four but were never settled because of their unsettled batting order. Cut to 2023; history seems to be repeating itself. We are just months away from the latest edition of the ODI World Cup. Four years after the struggles at the 2019 World Cup, India still haven’t figured out who their No. 4 batter will be at the ICC event to be played at home. Shreyas Iyer seemed to have sealed that spot with some impressive performances, but his injury woes mean there is no guarantee of him featuring in the World Cup. Even if he is declared fit, concerns over him being rusty will remain.
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