India is blessed with a rich stream of batsmen and perhaps the selectors can think of giving someone like a Cheteshwar Pujara a run in the ODIs.
CHANDIGARH: During the victorious 2011 World Cup campaign, Indian team's batting order had a settled look to it. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag opening with Gautam Gambhir coming at one down. Then Virat Kohli batted at the crucial Number 4 position.
After Sachin's retirement from ODIs and the subsequent axing of Sehwag and Gambhir due to lack of form, Kohli moved up the batting order to make the No. 3 slot his own.
The crucial No. 4 position has become a cause of worry for MS Dhoni. The captain has tried several players at that slot including himself. Since April 2011, five players have strode out to occupy this prime slot.
For the better part of 2011 Yuvraj Singh was the preferred choice. But after his cancer and subsequent treatment, the position went to Rohit Sharma in 2012.
The stylish bat from Mumbai had the full backing of Dhoni and despite repeated failures he was persisted with. In the 2012 Commonwealth Bank tri-series in Australia, which featured the hosts and Sri Lanka, Rohit managed just 79 runs in five innings at a paltry average of 15.93.
The selectors however kept their faith in Rohit and picked him for the Asia Cup. There too, Rohit scored 72 runs in three outings at an average of 24. Thereafter, he had a disastrous run of form in the bilateral series in Sri Lanka scoring just 13 runs in five innings and subsequently he lost his place.
In the latter part of 2012 and early 2013, India played two bilateral series against Pakistan and England where the team had a new No. 4 -- Suresh Raina was promoted from his usual No. 6 or 7 position.
The southpaw scored a 43 and an 18 in the two opportunities that he got against Pakistan. He came into his own against England with scores of 50, 55, 89 not out and 83, also bagging the Man of the Series award.
Then after briefly flirting with Dinesh Karthik as the new No. 4, the selectors brought back a rejuvenated Yuvraj Singh into the squad.
The No. 4 slot, however, went back to Raina who has struggled against accurate and sustained short-pitched bowling.
With the 2015 World Cup scheduled to be held Australia and New Zealand, where pace and bounce will be a common factor across venues, the team management has to sort out the No. 4 conundrum.
India is blessed with a rich stream of batsmen and perhaps the selectors can think of giving someone like a Cheteshwar Pujara a run in the ODIs.
The 25-year-old is as tenacious as you get and while Pujara still has to be tested outside India, he has shown the right attitude while standing up to the quicks. He definitely needs a chance to succeed or to fail
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