'Kya ho gaya hai phle surya ab ye itta sach kaise bol rahe' - Fans react as India skipper Rohit Sharma speaks about No.4 problem in Indian team

The Indian Cricket team is currently preparing hard for the upcoming ODI World Cup and Asia Cup. Ahead of two marquee tournaments, Indian team management is yet to finalise the combination and playing xi. With more than four key players injured and running out of the game, India needs to finalise the combination as soon as possible.

One of the major problems is a steady and trustworthy batter at number 4. Since Yuvraj Singh retired from international cricket, the Indian team has failed to find his replacement. Speaking about the same, India skipper Rohit Sharma accepted the challenge and said that it is a persistent issue. "Look, No. 4 has been an issue for us for a long time. After Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), nobody has come and settled themselves in", Rohit told reporters at an event.

"But, for a long period of time, Shreyas (Iyer) has actually batted at No. 4, and he has done well—hhis numbers are really good. 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 gotten injured, and you will always see a new guy coming and playing there," he further added.

"The percentage of injuries is massive", says Rohit Sharma

Further speaking about the impact of injuries in team combinations He also accepted that the percentage of injuries to key players in the last few years has affected the Indian team. He said, "The percentage of injuries that have happened in the last 4-5 years 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. Notably, India is desperately waiting for KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer to recover and make a comeback to the national side. In good news, senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to make a comeback, and the team will hope the same from Rahul and Shreyas.

Here is how fans reacted to Rohit Sharma's comments:

He is 100% right Dhoni never won a World Cup without yuvi , yuvi made batting at no.4 look easy, I will say he won india 2 WCs

— User45 (@140off113) August 10, 2023

Agreed with Rohit Sharma's observation. The number 4 position has been a persistent challenge for India's cricket team. Shreyas Iyer showed promise and performed effectively, but unfortunate injuries disrupted his consistency. This has led to a constant rotation of new players…

— dotΞxe (@dotexe786) August 10, 2023

Surya would be at number 4, no one bat like him at 4

— Manish Singh (@leonaides) August 10, 2023

Maybe Tilak Verma can fill those shoes 👀

— Waѕiyullah Budye (@WasiyullahB) August 10, 2023

THALA would be another temba bavuma without yuvi

— Who cares? (@Retired__hurt) August 10, 2023

The Indian team needs to groom Tilak Varma and Shreyas Iyer in the middle order.

— Dr Nikhil Jain | SEBI RA (@iamMarketWiz) August 10, 2023

That is the reason they are trying different opening combination 🤷‍♂️

— Ashwin (@ashwin_ind) August 10, 2023

The issue is top 3 don’t want to take risk and want to bat till 40 overs with selfish Strike rate of 85-90. How can you expect no.4, 5,6 to be battle hardened and prepared for high pressure matches.

— T Kumar (@DailyTej) August 10, 2023

Sanju Samson in ODI Cricket:

•At No.4 - 51.0 Ave, 124.4 SR.
•At No.5 - 52.0 Ave, 89.66 SR.
•At No.6 - 90.0 Ave, 117.6 SR.

He is that guy Indian cricket is searching for over the last few years

— Sanju Samson Fans Page (@SanjuSamsonFP) August 10, 2023

@ImRo45 said -#KLRahul can replace by #sanjusamson but i not want sanju in team so he not play nz , Bangladesh,aus in wi we want sanju not perform well in t20 so we decide he play at 6 and we are backing our loby player not sanju type player @imAagarkar #dravid =only for Fun

— har har mahadev (@Ramesh09531503) August 10, 2023

Tilak is perfect one to replace Yuvi. Long term till retirement he can play.

— Sunil Sonwal (@SunilSonwal) August 10, 2023

Take a gamble bring in Tilak Verma at no. 4 Samson,Surya is struggling, iyer is injured so a gamble may be worth it

— The Big Lord (@TheBiglord09) August 10, 2023

Tilak can be a x factor at no.4 ⚡ pic.twitter.com/sS0cjFUiDm

— Indian (@FanTypically) August 10, 2023

We should groom Tilak & Iyer as No.4. & Pant & KL as No.5 in the long term.

Surya & Sanju as No.6 (specialist batsmen who can up the runrate) followed by Hardik, Jadeja, Axar, Sundar, Shardul etc.

It will help us try different combinations-
Shreyas-Pant-Samson
Tilak-KL-Surya

— Advaitya Chandhoke (@AdvaityaC) August 10, 2023