Sourav Ganguly on No 4 position: ''One batting slot does not make much difference''

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Sourav Ganguly on Monday said India have a lot of options for the No 4 position in their ODI side, and stressed that one position alone will not win important tournaments like the World Cup. Ganguly said the team management should zero in on one player and give him 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 here while being appointed as the brand ambassador of the real estate company Casagrand.

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. Promising left-hander Tilak Varma, who impressed all during the T20I series against West Indies recently, on Monday was included in India's squad for the Asia Cup 2023. It was his maiden entry into India's ODI set-up.

Ganguly hoped that the young batsman will make the opportunity count with big runs. «He is good but I think when you play big tournaments, you need a bit more runs under the belt,» he said. Ganguly opined that wrist spinners will be crucial for India in the coming tournaments.