NEWS
Follow UsFormer Australia spinner Brad Hogg believes Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson should be frontrunners to be India's No. 4 options if Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul fail to recover in time for the World Cup. While Rahul is recovering from a thigh injury he suffered during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Shreyas has been missing in action due to a recurring back injury that prevented him from leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last season.
"If they're [Iyer and Rahul] not fit, we need a keeper in this team. I don't think Ishan Kishan can bat lower down the order. I think he is predominantly an opener," Hogg said on social media.
"If they open with Kishan and Rohit Sharma, I would have Tilak Varma coming in at No. 4. He has hardly played any one-day cricket. But the way he has operated in T20 cricket shows that he has got the goods for any situation."
As an alternative, Hogg also suggested Samson donning the wicketkeeping gloves if India decide to open with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma.
"If they go with Gill and Rohit Sharma at the top of the order with Sanju Samson at No. 4 as the Indian keeper going into that World Cup. I think he can offer something substantial in that position," Hogg added.
Just like the 2019 World Cup, India go into the 2023 edition without a settled No. 4 option. They are due to play in the Asia Cup early next month and will hope that the tournament gives them some answers.
