India’s Fixed No. 4 Batter

Ishan Kishan vs Shreyas Iyer: Who Should Be India’s Fixed No 4 Batter in ODIs?

Pranvit Singh Dang

Published - Jun 17, 2026, 11:23 AM

3 min

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The Indian Cricket Team has produced some of the best cricketers in the world over the years, who have gone on to perform well for the team for a very long time. However, in recent years, there has been one batting position, No. 4, where the Indian team has been struggling to find a perfect batter. Over the years, players like Mohammad Azharuddin and Yuvraj Singh have cemented this spot and done well, but post-Yuvraj Singh's retirement, there have been many players who were tried at this spot until Shreyas Iyer came in and showed trust at No.4.

However, the recent form of Iyer in international cricket has not been very impressive, as he has failed to deliver as per the expectations. The Indian Management has given a chance to Ishan Kishan during the IND vs AFG 2nd ODI at No. 4, where he went on to do well and score a quick century. This shuffle in batting order has raised questions about who should be India No 4 batter.

Ishan Kishan vs Shreyas Iyer at No 4 in ODIs

There has been a lot of debate around Ishan Kishan vs Shreyas Iyer, some of the best batsmen in India, at No 4 in ODIs. If we see Ishan Kishan's stats at No 4, he has only played 8 matches at this batting position, scoring 264 runs at an average of 37.71.

On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer, who has been a stable batter at this position for many years, has even performed well during the ICC World Cup 2023. Shreyas Iyer has played most of the matches of his career at No.4, where he has scored 1900+ runs at an impressive average of 47+, which also includes 4 centuries and 13 fifties.

Stats	Ishan Kishan	Shreyas Iyer
Matches	8	47
Runs	264	1965
Highest Score	125	128*
Average	37.71	47.92
Strike Rate	88.59	97.47
100s	1	4
50s	1	13
Ducks	0	1
Fours	27	179
Sixes	9	49

Who Should Bat at Number 4 India?

The No. 4 batting position is considered to be one of the underrated and tough batting positions, where a batter should be versatile in anchoring innings when the top order is collapsed and even play a brutal innings when coming out to bat during the last overs. However, considering the stats and experience of Shreyas Iyer, he is the perfect option to be a fixed India No 4 batter in the future as well as for the ICC World Cup 2027.