Number 4 Conundrum

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The ICC has finally announced the groups for the T20 World Cup as the countdown for the mega event begins. India has been placed in Group 2 of the Super 12 along with Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and two qualifiers from Round 1.

It will be interesting to see which two teams from each group make it to the semis, but let's leave that discussion for some other day.

So, as the Indian team prepares for the pinnacle T20I tournament later this year, there are a few questions which still stand unanswered in front of the men in blue. The first of a few conundrums for the team is that of the number 4 spot.

Most likely contenders

The two frontrunners for the spot have to be Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav. Iyer has been a constant part of the Indian playing XI in the limited-overs format since the 2019 World Cup in England, whereas Yadav earned his name in the IPL and made his international debut recently against England, and had an impressive debut against the visitors.

Since his debut in 2017, Iyer has played 8 T20I innings for India at number 4. He has scored 250 runs at an average of 50 with an explosive strike rate of 151. In the ODI format as well, he has scored at an average of 42 with a healthy strike rate of 97.

On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav hasn't played a single innings for India at number 4. In the IPL, Yadav hasn't had too fruitful results while batting at number 4. In 14 innings he has scored 312 runs at an average of 24 with a mild strike rate of 125.

Both Yadav and Iyer primarily bat at number 3 for their respective IPL franchises and their domestic state teams. But as we try to pick the best choice for number 4, considering their stats at other positions won't rightly justify their selection for a different batting position.

Reasons to back Shreyas Iyer


Shreyas Iyer appears to be a player better suited for the role of an anchor for an innings, but numbers justify his ability to take the bowlers by cleaners on any given day. As mentioned earlier, he has a really impressive strike rate of over 150 while batting at number 4 for team India.

Also, he is an integral part of the Indian setup in the limited-overs format. As the opportunity to bat at the most controversial position in the Indian team was thrown at the youngster after the 2019 World Cup, the lad grabbed it with both hands. Playing crucial knocks whenever the team needed, he ruthlessly owned the number 4 spot in the team.

In the last T20I series India played, Iyer batted brilliantly given the fact that he had to switch out of his comfort zone as he was asked to bat lower down the order.

Reasons to back Suryakumar Yadav


Suryakumar Yadav is four years older than Shreyas, but quite evidently he is a more innovative and fearless batsman than the latter. The fashion in which the Indian team has played T20 cricket over the years has been a cut-paste approach from the ODIs. To win consistently and establish its authority in the shortest format of the game, India needs players like Yadav to feature in the playing XI more frequently.

Playing aggressive cricket comes naturally to Suryakumar and thus he can back his instincts and go for big shots at his will. Not only he can hit the ball for sixes with ease, but he can also play an anchor innings as well for the team as and when needed.

Both Iyer and Suryakumar have nicely balanced batting approaches but Suryakumar's unorthodox shots can instill a sense of fear in the opposition's dressing room.

Verdict

In the competition between Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, it's Iyer who should emerge as the ultimate choice for the number 4 spot in the Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

The main thinking behind this decision has to be experience and not to continue with the trend of creating insecurity among the players. Since the World T20 in 2016, India has tried 13 batsmen for the number 4 position. Such scenarios create a sense of insecurity among the players who have been ruled out of the team as well as the players who are already a part of the dressing room.

Three months away from the showpiece event, it's nice to pick an ideal XI for the Indian team. But predicting the actual or most likely XI at this stage would be a crime given the track record of the Indian captain and the team management regarding team selections. 

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