'After Yuvraj Singh Nobody Come And Settled Themselves in': Rohit Sharma on India's No. 4 Worries

Captain Rohit Sharma opened up on the number 4 struggle in the Indian ODI set-up since the retirement of Yuvraj Singh. The Men in Blue struggled to fix the number 4 spot in the 50-over format which has once again put them under the scanners before the ODI World Cup 2023. It was the same case in the 2019 marquee event where India travelled without a designated number 4 in the WC and ended up losing the semifinal.

In the past couple of years, India tried Shreyas Iyer and he managed to do well in the 20 matches he batted at the number 4 spot in which he scored 805 runs at 47.35 with two centuries and five fifties. However, his back injury has put uncertainty over his place in the World Cup squad. The stylish batter is currently undergoing rehab at the NCA and working hard to get fit for the Asia Cup and World Cup.

Rohit admitted the number 4 worries of the Indian team and said the unfortunate injury of Iyer has again made things difficult for them once again.

“Look, No. 4 has been an issue for us for a long time. After Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), nobody has come and settled themselves in.

“But, for a long period of time, Shreyas (Iyer) has actually batted at No. 4 and he has done well — his numbers are really good,” Rohit told reporters on the sidelines of a La Liga event here.

The Indian skipper said that India have faced several injury crises in the last four-five years which has hampered the team.

“Unfortunately, injuries have given him a bit of trouble; he has been out for a while and that is honestly what has happened in the last 4-5 years. A lot of these guys have got injured and you will always see a new guy coming and playing there,” he said.

“The percentage of injuries that have happened in the last 4-5 years, it is massive. When the players get injured or are not available, you try doing different things with different players — that is what I have to say about No. 4,” he said.

“Even before, when I was not the captain, I was watching no? There were so many guys who came in and went out. But injuries kept them away or they were not available or someone lost form,” Rohit added.