• Source:JND
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With less than two months left for the ODI World Cup 2023, India are still confused about their squad despite testing different combinations over a period of time in the absence of star players including Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul.

The biggest concern for Men in Blue is for no. 4 batter. In the three-match series against West Indies, the Rohit Sharma-led side auditioned Axar Patel, Hardik Hardik Pandya and Suryakuar Yadav for the crucial batting spot but none of them were given a constant run in the series. It is to be noted that wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson is also in the fray for that spot.

Amid a lot of confusion regarding the team combination for the home ODI World Cup, former India batter and expert Aakash Chopra picked in-form Tilak Varma for the no. 4 batting role.

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The left-handed batter made his T20I debut in the ongoing series against West Indies and played knocks of 39, 51 and 49* in the series so far.

JioCinema expert Pragyan Ojha recently tweeted that Varma should be fast-tracked into the No. 4 spot for Team India in ODIs. JioCinema expert Chopra seconded Ojha’s view but said there is another aspect to it.

“Generally, we tend to forget people who are not there. This has been a continuous debate happening around the No. 4 position. We even talked about it during the ODI series. We saw three different batters at that position, Axar Patel was also tried at that position, even though he wasn’t a candidate for that position. At that time, we were still discussing Shreyas Iyer or KL Rahul, right? When they are back, I think Tilak must wait. But at this point in time, if we don’t see them, then why not, Tilak can be tried,” Chopra said.

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Another JioCinema expert RP Singh concurred with Chopra and Ojha. “He has successfully ticked all the boxes, and the most impressive aspect of his batting lies in his fearless approach right from the first ball. He doesn't merely swing for the sake of swinging; instead, he evaluates where to place the ball. His profound understanding of the game, including its pace and rhythm, enables him to take calculated risks."

"I feel he is prepared, with his performances in the domestic circuit and IPL, all of that is in his head that he has played such good innings but when you play a match at the international level you need to prepare well knowing which bowlers are there and to which bowler will you be hitting those big shots," the former pacer added.