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Cricket PlayersKohli to sacrifice No.3 spot, new position for Gill: Options for India if Iyer, Rahul not fit for Asia Cup, World Cup
Here are India's probable options if Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are not fit for Asia Cup and World Cup. Virat Kohli may slide down to let Kishan and Gill play.
Will KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer be fit for Asia Cup 2023? If they are not, will they be considered straightaway for World Cup? A day after reports stated that both Rahul and Iyer are doubtful for the Asia Cup as their body is not fully recovered to take the load of 50-over cricket, videos of the former practising keeping drills went viral. This still doesn't mean Rahul is fit to keep for 50 overs but it has got the fans hopeful for the right-hander's comeback to the Indian side after a long injury layoff.
Rahul has not played any competitive since suffering a thigh injury in IPL 2023 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He even had to undergo surgery in London and only started batting in the nets a few weeks ago. His biggest challenge will be to get enough strength on his thighs so that they can handle the stress of keeping for 50 overs and then allowing him to bat or vice versa.
Rahul is pivotal to India's Asia Cup and World Cup plans. Despite his indecent runs in T20Is and Tests, he continues to be India's first-choice keeper-batter in the ODIs. His numbers while batting at No.5 are one of the best in recent times. If he is not fully fit then it becomes a double whammy for India as they will not only have to find a keeper but also someone who can bat effectively in the middle-order.
Shreyas Iyer's case is a bit more worrying. The right-hander is recovering from a reoccurring back injury that kept him away from the entire IPL 2023. If reports are to be believed then he is almost certain to miss the Asia Cup. If that is true then he will have only the three-match home series against Australia to prove his fitness before the World Cup. Iyer has been India's confirmed No.4 batter in ODIs for quite some time now. He has made that spot his own with consistent performances in almost every condition. In his absence, India's perennial problem of not having a solid No.4 will again resurface.
Who are India's backups if Iyer and Rahul are not fit?
The Indian team management is hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. If the three ODIs against the West Indies were anything to do by then captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid have already started to look for backups. Who are backups for India if Rahul and Iyer are not fit in time? In terms of personnel, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson appear to be the clear favourites. But they may not be the straight swaps in the playing XI.
SKY has rather low returns while batting in the top five in ODIs. In fact, he hasn't found the desired success in this format while batting in any number in this format but the No.6 spot where he batted in the final two ODIs in West Indies, appears to be best-suited for him. In that case, he can't be a replacement for either Iyer or Rahul, the batter.
Samson has never got a decent run in any format but his ODI numbers are good. And they have always come while batting at No.4 or below. He can be the answer to Rahul but he hasn't kept in recent times as Ishan Kishan clearly appears to be the first choice in Rahul's absence.
Virat Kohli may be asked to sacrifice his No.3 spot if Rahul and Iyer are not fit
In the worst-case scenario, if Rahul and Iyer are unfit for the Asia Cup then India might look to rejig their batting-order completely. If Kishan plays, he has to open. He has the numbers to back him. If Kishan opens with captain Rohit then where does Shubman Gill bat? It's a tough one.
Gill has batted at No.3 or lower in domestic cricket and at the start of his career. If he is given the role to bat at No.3 that would mean Virat Kohli will have to leave that spot. That will perhaps be the toughest call in recent times as there is no better ODI cricketer at No.3 than Virat Kohli at the moment in world cricket. 10777 runs out of his 12898 runs in ODIs have come while batting at No.3. He has scored 39 out of 46 ODI centuries at that position.
But knowing the team man that he is, he would understand the need for a solid No.4 if Iyer is absent. Asking Gill to bat at that position in crucial tournaments like the Asia Cup and World Cup may not the be right approach. Kohli, in that case, may slide down followed by Hardik Pandya at No.5 and either Samson or SKY at No.6. If Rahul is fit, which seems the more likely outcome then Hardik can bat at six.
What are the other options for India?
If India don't want to tinker with Virat Kohli's batting position then they will have to promote Hardik to No.4. He has batted in the top four in IPL in recent times and also for India. Rohit then opens with Gill as planned with either Samson or SKY slotting in at No.6. This, however, will only be possible if Rahul is fit. If he is not then Kishan becomes the first-choice keeper and he has to open unless India want to hand the gloves to Samson.
