World Cup 2019 | Cheteshwar Pujara should be India's number four in ODIs, claims Sourav Ganguly

03/15/2019

Sourav Ganguly reckons that Test specialist, Cheteshwar Pujara, would be the ideal candidate to bat at number four in the current Indian batting order ahead of the upcoming World Cup. Ganguly further added that he would pick Delhi youngster, Rishabh Pant, over veteran Dinesh Karthik in the ODI team.

With the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup fast approaching, the Indian selection committee are under pressure to get the team selection right in order to send a balanced squad to England for the global showpiece. Virat Kohli is set to lead the team with his usual band of players like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya amongst others. However, the spot for the fourth batsman in the line-up seems to be a hot topic for discussion with numerous players being tried out in that position.

While Ambati Rayudu leads the line to fill the number four spot, former India captain Sourav Ganguly reckons that Test specialist - Cheteshwar Pujara - will serve as the ideal candidate to bat at that position in the ODI format.

"See, I am going to say something that might not sound believable to many viewers and a lot of people might laugh at my suggestion. But for me, Cheteshwar Pujara should be India's No.4 in ODIs. His fielding might be a bit weak but he is a very good batsman. I know people will be shocked by my claim but if you want a quality batsman who is better than the options India has tried off late, I think Pujara is the best choice.

"I believe Pujara has the capability to perform the role that Rahul Dravid used to do for India in ODIs. But this would have been my personal decision and I know a lot of people won't agree with me on this. Sometimes, you need solidity in one-day cricket and Pujara provides you with that in ample measure," Ganguly said in IndiaTV’s show ‘Cricket Ki Baat.’

The former India batsman also went on to comment on the situation involving Delhi’s Rishabh Pant and veteran Indian batsman - Dinesh Karthik. Ganguly believes that if one were to choose between the two, Pant should be preferred over Karthik for the World Cup squad.

"I would back Rishabh Pant over Dinesh Karthik. The latter has played a lot of cameos but we haven't seen him play a big innings while pulling the team out of trouble like Kedar Jadhav does for India. So, if I have to choose one amongst the two, I would go for Pant as he is a player of the future.

"But it is quite possible that none of either Pant or Karthik are selected for the World Cup. The way they have backed Vijay Shankar recently, it is possible that none of the two frontline backup wicket-keepers will make it to England. So in the event that Shankar is chosen, only one amongst KL Rahul, Pant and Karthik will be selected," Ganguly added.

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