'He has ticked all the boxes': Rahul Dravid confirms India's no.4 for World Cup & Asia Cup

Ahead of the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match, the Indian team management will have the daunting task of choosing the right player for the much-debated number four position. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have made a comeback in the team after recovering from their injuries, but Rahul will be unavailable for the first two matches of the Asia Cup due to a niggle. This makes Iyer the most desired candidate for the number four spot. 

3 things you need to know 

• The Asia Cup 2023 begins from August 30, 2023 
• The Asia Cup 2023 is being co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka under the hybrid model 
• The Asia Cup 2023 will be a golden chance for the Indian team management to test its players ahead of the ODI World Cup 

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Rahul Dravid indicates Shreyas Iyer is India's no. 4 for Asia Cup and World Cup 

With Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul coming into the side, the Indian team management will have more players to try at the number four ahead of the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup. However, Rahul is set to miss the first two to three games of the Asia Cup, which sets the stage clear for Iyer to bat at the number four spot. Indian cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid has also indicated Iyer as the new number four of Team India and also in the ODI World Cup. Dravid said while addressing a press conference in the NCA, Bengaluru: 

He has looked good, he has had no issues, it's pretty straightforward. It is just now about us giving him game time. One of the things he has actually missed is games and matches, which is something we can give him in the Asia Cup, and build him up towards the World Cup.

In terms of fitness, and in terms of everything he has done really well in this camp and he has batted a lot, he has fielded and he has ticked all the boxes, except the actual game time, which is actually you can do when you play some games. Practice games are not like international cricket. We have some games now in the Asia Cup and also against Australia, which will certainly give him an opportunity to tick that box as well. 

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Shreyas Iyer's numbers at number four 

Though Shreyas Iyer has played a total of 42 ODI matches for the 'Men in Blue', the right-handed Indian batter has been most successful while batting at number four. Iyer has played a total of 20 ODI matches at number four and scored 805 runs at an average of 47.35 and a strike rate of 94.37. His only hundred in the fifty-over format has come while batting at number four and scored 113 runs against South Africa in 2022.