Kolkata: India’s poor batting display against Afghanistan has once again raised questions on who should bat at no.4 for the Men in Blue in the remaining games of the 2019 World Cup. While some feel that Rishabh Pant should be given a go at the spot, former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad begs to differ.
He believes that either Kedar Jadhav or Dinesh Karthik should be asked to do the job as the young wicket-keeper batsman is not India’s answer to the no. 4 conundrum.
“Kedar Jadhav is a smart cricketer. He is a busy player and can rotate the strike. He can also play his shots. I think he should bat at no. 4,” Gaekwad told IANS.
“The other option is Dinesh Karthik. He has the experience and is a proven finisher. He likes to take his time at the crease and that is important when India are in trouble. You need someone who can stem the rot along with Virat (Kohli),” said Gaekwad who featured for India in 40 Tests and 15 ODIs, besides coaching the team from October 1997 to September 1999, and again in 2000 for a brief period - before John Wright succeeded him.
India started with K.L. Rahul batting at no. 4, but since Shikhar Dhawan got injured and was ruled out of the tournament after their second game against Australia, Rahul had to fill in the opener’s slot with Vijay Shankar drafted in the much-talked about position. IANS