Explained | Why it is too late to consider Tilak Varma for India's No. 4 spot for CWC '23

The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 (CWC '23) edition is not even two months away. The mega event will be held in India and, thus, Rohit Sharma & Co. are one of the favourites to lift the coveted title. After all, the last three editions have been won by the hosts. India, under MS Dhoni, started this trend in 2011 when the cricket-crazy country co-hosted the ODI World Cup (ODI WC) along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Back then, the Men in Blue trounced Sri Lanka in the summit clash by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai to lift the title.

Will Rohit-led Men in Blue replicate Dhoni & Co.'s heroics? Well, India do have the arsenal but still lag behind in many areas. The No. 4 spot continues to be a worry, which proved to be India's Achilles heel in the 2019 edition as well. It became a musical chair with no confirmed taker. This time around, the situation is pretty much the same. The injury to Shreyas Iyer is, however, the main reason for India's No. 4 spot still being a persistent issue.

Since injuries to Iyer and KL Rahul, who bats at No. 5, India have tried to give a consistent run to Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. Nonetheless, the trio haven't cemented the spot. During the ongoing India-West Indies T20Is, another candidate's name sprung up.

Tilak Varma, who is yet to make an ODI debut, recently wore his first-ever international cap during the WI T20Is. Since then, he has returned with scores of 39, 51, 41 and 7*. The left-hander has played the situation with aplomb, displayed a steady approach and carried out his innings with utmost responsibility and purpose. Thus, many former cricketers have backed him to become India's No. 4 in the upcomingWorld Cup. But should Team India give up on their back-ups and bring in a youngster as a wildcard entry if Iyer and Rahul remain unfit?

MANY BACKING TILAK VARMA AS AN OPTION

In an interaction with news agency PTI, former Indian chief selector MSK Prasad said, "First of all, we should know whether Shreyas Iyer is fit or not. So, in case, if Shreyas Iyer is ruled out, in the present scenario, one guy who fits the bill is Tilak Varma, because of his versatility, because of his ability to play fast bowling and spin bowling and also because of his ability to switch the gears as and when required. More than anything else, we don't have a left-hander at the top of the order. So all these things will definitely go in favour of Tilak Varma."

On his YouTube channel, R Ashwin stated, "This is neck-and-neck with respect to the World Cup. So, will they think about Tilak Varma as an option if we don’t have enough backups? Because Sanju Samson has performed really well in ODIs. But the exciting part about Tilak Varma is that he is a left-hander and Team India is lacking left-handers. Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) is the only left-handed batter in the top 7."

Ashwin added, "And look at the spinners from all the top teams. Australia have Ashton Agar. England has Moeen Ali and a leggie in Adil Rashid. So, most teams don’t have a finger spinner to challenge the left-handed batters. That is why the emergence of Tilak is crucial."

WHY INDIA SHOULD NOT GO THE 2019 WAY AND SHOULD AVOID PAST MISTAKES

Without a doubt, Varma is one for the future (who can play varied roles with the bat andalso be a handy part-time bowler). Just like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, etc., the 20-year-old Varma will also be a part of the national setup post the CWC '23 with India nearing a massive transition (with the likes of Rohit, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, etc. in the twilight of their careers). However, his inclusion in the ODI setup with regard to the upcoming world event makes little to no sense. The Mumbai Indians (MI) star just has a handful of matches under his belt in the gruelling international circuit. While his start is surely promising, although in the shortest format, ODIs is a different ball game altogether. Look at Suryakumar. He is a T20I giant, however, admits to his woeful ODI returns (averaging a poor 24.33 in 26 games).

During the WI T20Is, Surya admitted to his 50-over woes and said, "We've played so much T20 cricket now, that we have become habituated to it. We don't play as much one-day cricket anymore. That's one of the most challenging formats for me, because you need to have different gears." He added, "If I'm honest, I know my numbers in one-day cricket are quite poor. There is no shame in admitting that. We talk about honesty, you need to be honest but it's even more important how you work and improve on it."

Varma's T20I career has started in an identical fashion with that to his idol Suresh Raina (debut at 20, both taking two catches each in maiden outing, first-ever T20I fifty in losing cause). However, he hasn't even stepped into the ODI fore, a format ruled by his childhood hero. India's legendary captain MS Dhoni repeatedly emphasised on the need for players to be experienced enoughto counter the pressure attached to a mega event. Back in August 2008, Dhonisaid, "You have to give everyone enough chances, not just a few games."

Moreover, India have paid the price for regular shuffles in the batting order during their preparations in the last World Cup. We all remember how Ambati Rayudu's name was missing from the final 15 with Vijay Shankar -- having played only nine ODIs -- getting the nod. In addition, when Shankar got injured during the marquee tournament, India backed an exciting young talent like Pant to fill in the No. 4 spot rather than relying on the experienced Rayudu (who occupied the No. 4 spot for majority of 2018). What followed was a messed-up chase in the CWC '19 semi-final where India failed in pursuit of 240, versus eventual runners-up New Zealand, by shuffling the batting order cluelessly.

Surely, Varma has an edge being a left-hander. However, India can always promote Ravindra Jadeja -- whose batting stokes are on the rise since 2018 -- in the 50-over showpiece event and, thus, not change their team combination drastically. Moreover, they also have Kishan who can bat at No. 4. Nonetheless, bringing Varma out of nowhere can jolt India's preparations. They have a rich pool of players but with the CWC '23 less than 60 days away, they cannot keep expanding their options. They have to shortlist a few and identify their No. 4 if Iyer, or even Rahul, continue to miss out due to injury concerns.

Recently, during an event, Rohit addressedIndia'sstruggle to book their No. 4 slot. He said, "Look, No. 4 has been an issue for us for a long time. After Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), nobody has come and settled themselves in. But, for a long period of time, Shreyas (Iyer) has actually batted at No. 4 and he has done well - his numbers are really good. Unfortunately, injuries have given him a bit of trouble; he has been out for a while and that is honestly what has happened in the last 4-5 years. A lot of these guys have got injured and you will always see a new guy coming and playing there."

On Varma, Hitman stated, "He looks very promising. I have seen him for two years now, he has got the hunger, and that is the most important thing." The 36-year old pointed out, "In him I can see, for the age that he is of, he is quite matured. He knows his batting so well. When I speak with him I understand that the boy knows his batting – where he has to hit, what he has to do in that period."

"That is all that I will say about him, I do not know about the World Cup and all, but definitely the guy is talented and he showed it in these few games that he has played for India," he further opined.

There is some time before India finalise their Asia Cup squad, which will also give a major hint of their CWC '23 unit. It will be wise on their part if they go with a limited pool rather than just needlessly expanding it, pushing towards a downfall as experienced in 2019.

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