NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Shreyas Iyer’s lower back injury has left India without a settled number four batter in the one-day squad ahead of this year’s home World Cup, skipper Rohit Sharma said.
Since all-rounder Yuvraj Singh’s retirement in 2017, India have tried a dozen players at that spot with only Iyer and stumper-batsman Rishabh Pant batting more than 10 times.
Iyer has not played international cricket since March, while Pant’s chance of making the World Cup is slim as he recovers after a horrific car crash last December.
“Number four has been an issue for us for a long time,” Rohit told reporters in Mumbai on Wednesday.
“For a long period of time, Shreyas has actually batted at number four and he has done well — his numbers are really good.
“Unfortunately, injuries have given him a bit of trouble. He’s been out for a while and that is honestly what has happened in the last four to five years.”
“A lot of these guys have got injured and you will always see a new guy coming and playing there.”
Iyer and KL Rahul, who is recovering from a thigh injury, have resumed batting in the nets but are not certain for the Asia Cup beginning in Multan later this month.
“Shreyas and KL are coming off not playing anything for four months, big injuries, surgeries rather,” Rohit said.
“I had to undergo surgery once and I know how it feels afterwards. It is quite tough.
“We have to see, how they respond, what they do.”
India won the World Cup last time it hosted it, in 2011, but Rohit knew how tough it could be.
“Honestly, I have never won a (50 overs) World Cup, it’s a dream to win a World Cup.”
“You don’t get World Cups on a platter, you have to really work hard and that is what we have been doing all these years,” he added.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Robert Birsel)
