No more questions on India’s No.4 position, states Shreyas Iyer

Ahead of the 2019 World Cup, the biggest concern for Team India was regarding the No.4 position in the batting order. In their experimentation phase, the BCCI looked for their No.4 in various candidates such as Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar and Rishabh Pant. Even MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya, too, were often seen being promoted up the order. But it was after India’s heartbreaking exit after the semifinal loss against New Zealand that the team found their able No.4 in the form of Shreyas Iyer. 

In an Instagram live session with his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals, their 25-year-old captain stated that there shouldn’t be any questions about the number 4 slot anymore as he thinks he has done enough to cement that position in the 50-over format.

“I have told this in many interviews. There should be no more questions asked about India’s number 4 batting slot. If someone has played on that position for a year then he has secured that spot. Good feeling about securing the number 4 spot. You need to be flexible but I feel I can bat at any position depending on the condition,” Iyer said in the chat.

Iyer, who is now a mainstay in the limited-overs setup, averages 49.9, having accumulated 748 runs in 18 ODIs so far. In this little timespan, the right-hander managed to score one ODI hundred and five half-centuries. Iyer recalled the day he scored a 103 against New Zealand, at Hamilton in February this year, and revealed why it was special.

“When I scored that century, the day before I saw the names on wall of fame, I saw Shikhar Dhawan’s name as well. I too wished of having my name there. The next day I scored a hundred,” Iyer added.