World Cup 2023, IND vs AFG: India not tempted to play KL Rahul at number 4

India would not be playing KL Rahul at number four to partner him with Virat Kohli, clarified batting coach Vikram Rathour ahead of the team's ICC Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul put together a match-winning 165 for the fourth wicket to guide India to a win over Australia. However, this has not tempted the Indian think tank to promote Rahul to number four and push Shreyas Iyer to number five, clarified batting coach Vikram Rathour ahead of the India vs Afghanistan match in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Wednesday (October 11).

"No, not at the moment because he is doing so well at number five and Shreyas has done really well for us at number four. So absolutely no temptations," Rathore said on Tuesday, 10 October, in a pre-match press conference ahead of India's World Cup match against Afghanistan scheduled for 11 October at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

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This prompted another question on whether Suryakumar Yadav could be tried in place of Shreyas Iyer as he could be the finisher alongside Hardik Pandya and can bat at number five, pushing Rahul to four to make India a robust batting unit. Rathore vehemently declined any such plan in the working of the team management.

Saying that the team would like to back whoever is being given a chance, Rathore said, "I think the belief of team management is that he should get a proper opportunity. We need to back everyone. Whoever is playing should get enough opportunity."

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"If there is a situation where we feel that Surya should be brought in, again he has been batting really well. He has been playing well, he is preparing well. So, if we feel that Surya should be brought in, we will definitely play him," added the 54-year-old.

How is Shubman Gill recovering?

Shubman Gill did not travel with the team to Delhi for the second match and Rathore confirmed that he is recovering in a hotel in Chennai after being released from the hospital following his battle with dengue.

"He is recovering well. He was hospitalised, yes, but that was more as a precaution. He is back in the hotel; he is recovering well. So, being monitored by the medical team and whatever update we get, we are hoping that he will recover pretty soon. He is looking good actually," said Rathore.

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Ajay Jadeja with the Afghanistan team

Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi was asked about his and the team's experience of working with India's Ajay Jadeja, who has tied up with the team from across the Khyber Pass for the World Cup.

"It's good because he has a lot of experience in international cricket and Indian conditions. He always talks about how to deal with pressure. It's not about too much technique, because he just came to the team and he can't work with the techniques of batting, bowling stuff. So it's working well," said Shahidi.

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