'One batting slot does not make much of a difference': Sourav Ganguly on India's number four dilemma ahead of World Cup

The talk surrounding the number four batting spot for India ahead of the ODI World Cup that starts in October continues, with young batter Tilak Varma being the latest contender for the spot.

Apart from Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav is another candidate in line to take that number four spot, and while both were named in India’s squad for the 2023 Asia Cup as BCCI announced the same on Monday, former captain Sourav Ganguly believes that the team management should narrow down on one player and give him a longer run in that position.

“The No 4…Rahul (Dravid), selectors and Rohit (Sharma) need to decide that ‘this is my No 4 and I will continue with him’. One batting slot does not make much of a difference,” Ganguly told reporters while attending a promotional event in Mumbai.

“India has enormous talent. I keep hearing about this…we don’t have this or that but we have too much and that is the problem that we cannot decide,” he added.

Ganguly said that number four was just “any number” and he cited an example of himself, as to how he started off as a middle-order batter but later got promoted to the openers’ slot under Sachin Tendulkar’s captaincy.

“Number four is just a number and anybody can fit in. I started in the middle-order in one-day cricket and went on to open because I was asked to by Sachin (Tendulkar) as captain. It is the same with Sachin.

“He batted at six and his captain asked him to open and he became a world-class player.  Anybody can play at No 4. There’s Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul,” added the former Bengal cricketer.

The Asia Cup gets underway on 30 August and matches will be hosted in a hybrid format, by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India will take on Pakistan in the marquee contest on 2 September in Pallekele.

The ODI World Cup gets underway on 5 October, with India opening their campaign against Australia in Chennai on 8 October.