One of the major concerns for the Indian team leading into the World Cup is the conundrum around the number 4 slot. India have tried as many as seven to eight options for the role, but there is no clarity about which batsman could walk out to face South Africa in India’s first clash at the World Cup.

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has suggested a rather off-beat choice for the role - he has advocated for the inclusion of Cheteshwar Pujara in the ODI team as he believes he could be the answer for India’s perennial search for the number 4 slot.

Although, Ganguly did concede that Pujara’s fielding could be an issue but his prowess with the bat could help India.

“See, I am going to say something that might not sound believable to many viewers and a lot of people might laugh at my suggestion. But for me, Cheteshwar Pujara should be India’s No.4 in ODIs. His fielding might be a bit weak but he is a very good batsman. I know people will be shocked by my claim but if you want a quality batsman who is better than the options India has tried of late, I think Pujara is the best choice,” Ganguly told India TV.

The former captain compared Pujara to Rahul Dravid and said that he believes the Test number 3 can do exactly what Dravid did for the side for a very long time.

“I believe Pujara has the capability to perform the role that Rahul Dravid used to do for India in ODIs. But this would have been my personal decision and I know a lot of people won’t agree with me on this. Sometimes, you need solidity in one-day cricket and Pujara provides you with that in ample measure. Especially, when your top 3 batsmen are so capable and are scoring a mountain of runs,” added Ganguly.

First Published: Mar 15, 2019 18:46 IST