Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has weighed in on the big conundrum facing the Indian national team: who will be their number 4 batsman at the 2019 World Cup?
India have struggled to find a permanent fixture at the crucial batting spot and have tested a number of players for the position. In the recently-concluded five-match home ODI series against Australia, Ambati Rayudu, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant were tried at the position without much success.
The search, it seems, is far from over.
Also read: Sourav Ganguly picks his number 4 batsman in Virat Kohli’s WC team
Recently former India captain Sourav Ganguly made the surprise pick of Test mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara as an ODI number 4.
And now Ponting, who had a storied career that saw him make 168 Test and 375 ODI appearances for the Australian national team, has weighed in on the debate with a surprise pick of his own.
Ponting, who will be coaching the rebranded Delhi Capitals in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has propped up his franchise captain Shreyas Iyer for the number 4 slot in the Indian batting line-up.
“They tried a few even during the recent Australia series. Rayudu was there, Rishabh, Shankar. They could have also have tried Shreyas Iyer. He is a very good player. He has had a great domestic season. I am excited to catch up with him. It’s an interesting conundrum; maybe, they can fit in KL Rahul in that spot”, Ponting told ToI in an interview.
{{/usCountry}}“They tried a few even during the recent Australia series. Rayudu was there, Rishabh, Shankar. They could have also have tried Shreyas Iyer. He is a very good player. He has had a great domestic season. I am excited to catch up with him. It’s an interesting conundrum; maybe, they can fit in KL Rahul in that spot”, Ponting told ToI in an interview.
{{/usCountry}}India have no other international assignments before the World Cup and it remains to be seen if they will take such a big punt for the all-important tournament.