3 Greatest No. 4 Batsmen India Have Produced In ODI Cricket: The Indian men’s cricket is currently, once again, struggling for their number 4 batsman. With Shreyas Iyer injured and unlikely to feature in the Asia Cup 2023, India are unsure as to who will be their number 4 in the continental tournament, and, in the bigger picture, in the World Cup 2023 later in the year.
India had the same problem four years ago when they went into the 2019 World Cup with a different number 4, decided it after the warm-up games, and then changed it mid-way through the tournament itself, the blunders eventually costing in the semi-final.
The number 4 position is a crucial spot in an ODI cricket team. And a batter needs to be versatile to cement his spot and succeed at this position. For the number 4 positioned batsman do not have the luxury to take his time always as the top three does, and neither he has the clarity of situation to go after the attack aggressively as the lower-order does. So the number 4 is neither the top order, nor the lower-middle-order, but this slot is the heart of the middle-order.
India have had some great players, but very few, who have owned and succeeded immensely at the number 4 position in ODI cricket.
These are India’s top 3 batsmen at the number 4 position in ODI Cricket:
Mohammad Azharuddin
Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin is India’s leading run-scorer at the number 4 slot in ODI cricket. The artistry, skillful right-hander from Hyderabad scored 4605 runs at this position in 137 knocks at an average of 40 with a strike rate of 77.
Azharuddin notched up 3 centuries and an impressive 33 half-centuries while batting at number 4 in ODIs.Apart from Sachin Tendulkar, Azharuddin was one of India’s best batsmen in the 90s.
Yuvraj Singh
The hero of India’s triumphant 2011 World Cup campaign, Yuvraj Singh was India’s last best and most successful number 4 batsman.
Current skipper Rohit Sharma highlighted the same recently, saying that India just haven’t been able to find an able replacement at number 4 of Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj also used to bowl, making him an asset to the side.
At the number 4 spot, Yuvraj Singh amassed 3384 runs in 107 innings at an average of 35. The elegant left-handed stroked away 6 centuries and 17 fifties in this position. His contributions in the World Cup 2011 helped India end their 28-year wait.
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid aggregated over 10,000 ODI runs, most of which were at number 3. However, for a considerable amount of games, Rahul Dravid also batted at the number 4 position as the top 3 comprises Sehwag, Tendulkar, and Ganguly, Dravid not minding pushing himself down to number 4 for the team’s sake.
In the number 4 position, Dravid scored 3226 runs at an average of 35. He recorded 2 centuries and 25 fifties in this slot.
