Team India captain Rohit Sharma has raised serious concerns about the No.4 slot ahead of the World Cup saying no batter has succeeded in settling into that position since the retirement of Yuvraj Singh.

“Look, No. 4 has been an issue for us for a long time. After Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), nobody has come and settled themselves in.

“But, for a long period of time, Shreyas (Iyer) has actually batted at No. 4 and he has done well — his numbers are really good,” Rohit said on Thursday on the sidelines of a La Liga event here.

“Unfortunately, injuries have given him a bit of trouble; he has been out for a while and that is honestly what has happened in the last 4-5 years. A lot of these guys have got injured and you will always see a new guy coming and playing there,” he said.

The India captain said the percentage of injuries to players in key positions has hampered the team in the long run.

“The percentage of injuries that have happened in the last 4-5 years, it is massive. When the players get injured or are not available, you try doing different things with different players... that is what I have to say about No. 4,” he said.

“Even before, when I was not the captain, I was watching there were so many guys who came in and went out at No.4. Injuries kept them away or they were not available or someone lost form,” Rohit added.

With both KL Rahul and Iyer on a comeback trail after surgeries, Rohit said they will wait and watch on these two players.

“Shreyas and KL are coming off not playing anything for four months, big injuries, surgeries rather. Both had surgeries. I know, I had to undergo surgery once and how it feels afterwards, it is quite tough. We have to see, how they respond, what they do.

“The selection (meeting) will be there in a few days, we will have a good debate about what we can do. But honestly nobody is an automatic choice — they all have to fight for the spot – everyone has to.”

Written with PTI inputs