‘You cannot think of a better option than him at No. 4’ – Aakash Chopra’s bold statement on star India batter ahead of ODI World Cup 2023

After winning the two-match Test series 1-0, India will now lock horns against West Indies in a three-match ODI series. The first match of the series will be played at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, in Barbados on Thursday, July 27, while the second fixture will be played on Saturday, July 29 at the same venue. The third and final encounter of the series will be played at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, in Trinidad.

Ahead of the series, former India opener, Aakash Chopra believes that if Shreyas Iyer is fit and available to play for Men in Blue, then he should be the first choice for the No. 4 in the Indian batting without a doubt.  He opined in a video on his YouTube channel that Iyer is the ideal option that India has for the number four slot for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023, which is scheduled to take place later this year, in October-November in India.

Shreyas Iyer has not played International Cricket since March 2023

“Who generally plays at No. 4 or used to play? Shreyas Iyer played at No. 4 and in whatever matches he has played, Shreyas Iyer has actually done really well. Things became slightly topsy-turvy after his unavailability, but if Shreyas Iyer is fit and available, you cannot think of a better option than him at No. 4 at this point in time,” Chopra was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.

The 45-year-old went on to say that the right-hand batter has limited time to regain his form and fitness. “However, the first thing is his availability because he has not yet started playing. He is not part of the team that is currently there in the West Indies. Then you see the Asia Cup, three matches vs Australia and then the World Cup. So you have to get your fitness and form within one month,” the commentator asserted.

The 28-year-old has scored 1631 runs at an average of 46.60 in 42 ODIs. He scored 724 runs at an excellent average of 55.69 in 17 in ODIs last year but he has not played a single game since March 2023 as he got injured in the last match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. He has missed a lot of major tournaments like the Indian Premier League 2023 and the World Test Championship 2023 Final.