Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has stated that any player is capable of playing in the number four slot for Team India.
The debate on will bat at the number 4 slot for Team India at the Asia Cup 2023 has been raking in a lot of headlines. (More Cricket news)
From Suryakumar Yadav to Tilak Varma, every name is considered for the number four slot as Team India look to build towards the marquee event starting later this month.
The Indian squad for Asia Cup 2023 was announced on Monday in the presence of skipper Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Rohit put all the doubts to rest by stating that all questions around number 4 slot needs to stop.
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly too echoed Rohit's opinion regarding the batting slot. Sourav said the team management should zero in on one player and give that player a long rope at the No 4 slot.
“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.
"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 the media while attending a promotional event.
Downplaying the debate over the No 4 position, Ganguly said any player can be fitted there.
“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,” said Ganguly.
India's squad for Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (vice captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna
Reserve player: Sanju Samson
The Asia Cup 2023 starts on August 30 with the first fixture being held in Multan between Pakistan and Nepal.
(With PTI inputs)