India has always been a nation that has produced abundant cricketing talents. History clearly tells us that most cricketers made a name for themselves by strikingly impactful performances. However, it is absolutely imperative to cover all the bases in an attempt to build a strong team for any marquee event.
With the right set of players, Team India fancied their chances in the 1983 World Cup and 2011 World Cup. Rightly so, they won two ODI World Cups so far. However, since 2011, India failed to make a bid for the ODI World Cup because of chinks in their middle order department. They didn’t fix the leaks in the ship and paid the ultimate pace.
In the ICC ODI World Cup 2019, India had to deal with middle-order woes. They made a grave mistake by not including Ambati Rayudu in the squad when he averaged over 50 at No.4. Indian selectors cited that they wanted to include a three-dimensional player like Vijay Shankar. Nevertheless, the decision didn’t yield positive results.
India’s middle order woes isn’t a new thing
India struggled to recoup confidence levels in the semi-final when New Zealand slowly took the game away from them. During the run-chase, India failed to rotate the strike, couldn’t find gaps and struggled to hit boundaries before eventually losing the battle. The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 tournament is just two months away from getting underway.
The middle-order batters provide a great deal of balance to the team. They are accountable for stabilising the innings, recouping after early dismissals, speeding up the run rate and playing according to the situation when required. If the team management doesn’t identify players for the designated slots, it could be the same old story again.
It is vital for the team to learn from past mistakes and try not to repeat them in the future. The Indian team management has long been experimenting with the likes of KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer for the middle order slots.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul has performed exceedingly well at No.5 for Team India. Having played 18 innings so far, he mustered 742 runs at an average of 53 with a healthy strike rate of 99.33. It seems like he will retain his position in the side.
| Batting Position | Innings | Not Out | 100s | 50s | 0s | Highest Score | Total runs | Average | Strike-rate |
| 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 108 | 241 | 40.17 | 80.87 |
| 5 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 112 | 742 | 53.00 | 99.33 |
Shreyas Iyer
The Indian team management used Shreyas Iyer at both the No.4 and 5 positions. The right-handed batter brought the best out of himself at No.4 as he maintained a batting average of 47.35, including five half-centuries and two centuries, aggregating 805 runs.
| Batting Position | Innings | Not Out | 100s | 50s | 0s | Highest Score | Total runs | Average | Strike-rate |
| 4 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 113* | 805 | 47.35 | 94.37 |
| 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 71 | 292 | 32.44 | 105.04 |
Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson hasn’t been getting enough opportunities to play but whenever he got the chance, he justified his selection right by making it count. Samson, who averages 50+ in ODIs, has showcased his versatility by scoring runs at No. 4, 5 and 6 slots respectively.
| Batting Position | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike-Rate | Highest Score | 50s | 100s |
| 4 | 1 | 51 | 51 | 124.4 | 51 | 1 | – |
| 5 | 5 | 104 | 52 | 89.7 | 54 | 1 | – |
| 6 | 4 | 180 | 90 | 117.6 | 86 | 1 | – |
Suryakumar Yadav
Team India has been really keen to try Suryakumar Yadav in the middle order but he hasn’t been able to up the ante whenever required. He has played eleven innings at the No. 5 position wherein he scored 320 runs at an average of 35.6, including 2 half-centuries.
| Batting Position | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike-Rate | Highest Score | 50s | 100s |
| 5 | 11 | 320 | 35.6 | 98.5 | 64 | 2 | – |
| 6 | 5 | 108 | 21.6 | 110.2 | 39 | – | – |
Final Opinion:
Although Sanju Samson has been statistically impressive in numbers, we doubt that he might be able to make it to the ODI World Cup squad. Shreyas Iyer has done pretty well as a batsman at No.4, something which Suryakumar Yadav failed to make a case for himself in any of the batting positions in ODIs.
On the other hand, KL Rahul seems a must in the middle-order. India still hasn’t found a proper finisher ever since MS Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket. It is important for the Indian team to field a player with finishing abilities. Hardik Pandya will be slotted at the No.6 slot which suits perfectly for him.
India did groom Hardik Pandya as a finisher in 2015 but that didn’t yield results in the long term. There is still plenty of room for improvement before appearing for the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023. Having a strong and reliable middle order can help the team handle these high-pressure situations quite effectively.
