India batting coach Vikram Rathour reveals two major concerns as tenure begins

The identity of the future No.4 in ODIs and the opening partnership in Tests are among the key issues for the new incumbent

Vikram Rathour is well-aware of the numerous dilemmas he faces as his tenure as India's new batting coach begins.

The country's World Cup campaign was undone by the failure to identify a No.4 batsman, with Vijay Shankar and Rishabh Pant rotated during the tournament without success.

Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and the currently suspended Prithvi Shaw are all competing to open the batting in Test cricket.

India are next in action when they face South Africa in three T20s and three Tests at home. Rathour is less than a month into his role yet his intray is full to the brim.

"It is not just about the World Cup," he told the BCCI website. "(No.4) is one slot (we must look at). The middle-order in one-day is not doing well and we must, of course, sort it out. Shreyas Iyer has done well in the last couple of games and we also have Manish Pandey. 

"These two guys have done very well in domestic cricket and with India A. These are the batters who are capable of doing the job and I have no doubt about it in my mind. It is a matter of getting it right at the top level. 

^{KL Rahul is the man in possession for India in Tests}

"We need to back them and provide them with the right preparations so that they can be there for a longer time. They have enough talent in them to do well.

"The other area of concern is the opening partnership in Tests. We have options and there is healthy competition. We need to find a way for them to be more consistent."

Rathour, whose appointment was clouded in controversy given he is related to Under-19 selector Ashish Kapoor and the cousin of former BCCI president Anurah Thakur, is buoyed by the number of options available to him.

"We have tremendous talent within the team and a big bunch of talented cricketers who are coming up," he said of India, who won the Under-19 World Cup last year.

"We have a great setup in India A and India U19, so I feel this is a great time for me to be joining the senior side. We have a lot of competition and it augurs well for the team as we have more options.

"We have a lot of good cricketers coming through. We must identify the best ones, support them and give enough opportunities to establish themselves. I think with the kind of talent we have; we should do really well."