“I would go with Surya at four”, Shikhar Dhawan on India’s middle order ahead of World Cup 2023.

Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan has endorsed Suryakumar Yadav as his preferred candidate for the No. 4 position in India’s lineup for the 2023 World Cup. Dhawan believes that Suryakumar’s experience and consistent presence in international cricket make him a suitable choice.

India has faced challenges in finalizing a reliable batsman for the No. 4 spot due to various injury setbacks. The availability of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul remains uncertain. In their absence, the Indian team has experimented with Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson. In addition, experts such as Ravichandran Ashwin have suggested the potential inclusion of Tilak Varma.

However, Suryakumar Yadav’s performances in one-day cricket have been underwhelming. Across 26 matches, he has accumulated 511 runs with an average of 24.33.

Shikhar Dhawan said “I would go with Surya at four as he is an experienced player and has been playing international cricket for a while.”

When asked about the Indian batsmen he is excited to watch in the World Cup, Dhawan mentioned young opener Shubman Gill and team captain Rohit Sharma as his top picks.

He added on “Also, really looking forward to seeing how Shubman Gill does in the World Cup. Another batter to watch out for will be Rohit Sharma as he did exceptionally well in the last World Cup.”