Ravi Shastri, former India head coach, recently made an intriguing admission when he said Virat Kohli might have started at No. 4 during the 2019 ODI World Cup in England. He added that he thought the top batting order was weak and that losing early wickets may be very detrimental.
Ravi Shastri‘s worst nightmares came true when India lost to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-final in Manchester, crumbling to 5/3 after being scheduled to chase 240. The Men in Blue lost the ICC knockout match by 18 runs despite a valiant effort from the bottom order.
Shastri stated during the discussion of Kohli’s one-day batting position that the 34-year-old can bat at No. 4 if the team requires him to. In an interview with Star Sports, Shastri said, “If Virat has to bat at four, he will bat at four in the interest of the side. You know, there were times I thought of it. Even in the previous two World Cups, when I was coach in 2019, I thought I might have discussed that with MSK [Prasad] as well of him batting at four just to break that top heavy line-up.”
Even though Kohli has mostly batted at number three in ODIs, someone of his calibre might not have great trouble making the transition to a middle-order batter. Early in his career, he had batted at number four numerous and played some of his best knocks at that number.
Kohli at 4: His performances
In light of Shastri’s remarks, we examine Kohli’s track record in one-day cricket at No. 4. In ODIs, the 34-year-old has batted at No. 4 a total of 42 times. He has seven hundred and 1767 runs, averaging 55.21, in these games. His highest score, 139*, came in a November 2014 match at Ranchi against Sri Lanka while batting at No. 4.
In addition, he batted at No. 4 when he famously scored 133* off 86 balls against Sri Lanka in Hobart in February 2012. The former India captain has only batted at position No. 4 twice since the year began. In March 2019 against Australia, he scored 7, and in January 2020 in Mumbai, he scored 16 against the same opponents.
If not Kohli then who will bat at number 4?
Since Yuvraj Singh’s departure, Team India hasn’t identified a reliable No. 4 hitter in one-day matches. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has expressed concerns over unresolved issues with the No.4 spot in ODIs, stating that “after Yuvraj Singh, nobody has come and settled in”. The most productive hitter at the position recently has been Shreyas Iyer.
He has batted at position four in 20 innings since making his India ODI debut. 805 runs, at an average of 47.35, two hundred, and five fifty-sevens have been scored by Shreyas. But since March of this year, he has been unable to perform owing to a back issue. His availability for the World Cup and the Asia Cup is doubtful.
Read More
Team India might also consider KL Rahul when they are two down in a one-day match. But there are also concerns about his readiness. Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, hasn’t really done much in the format to gain the selectors and team management’s trust.
Also Read: World Cup 2023: How does the schedule benefit India?
“Get more sports news, cricket news, and football updates, log on to sportsdigest.in. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.”
