Ravi Shastri: Virat Kohli Could Bat at Number 4 for Team’s Sake

The ex-India coach, Ravi Shastri, has shared that he considered having Virat Kohli bat at number 4 during the 2019 ODI World Cup. This was to make the batting order more balanced because it mainly focused on the top players at that time.

Shastri mentioned that Kohli performed really well when he batted at number four, scoring 1767 runs with an average of 55.2. Shastri’s aim was to make sure that the top four positions in the lineup could adapt to different situations.

Ravi Shastri Says Virat Kohli Might Bat at Number 4

Shastri said, “If it’s better for the team, Virat would have batted at four. I thought about it sometimes. Even in the last two World Cups, when I was the coach in 2019, I talked to MSK Prasad about Kohli batting at four. This was to make the lineup less focused on the top players.”

“You know, because if we lost two or three at the top, we were gone and it was proved so. Just for that experience. And if you look at Virat Kohli’s record, he is good enough at number four,”

– Ravi Shastri

The problem of who should bat at number 4 is a common challenge in Indian cricket. They faced this issue back in the 2019 ODI World Cup too. Since that World Cup, they’ve used 11 different players for the number 4 position in ODIs.

As the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is approaching in less than two months, the question of who should bat at number 4 is being discussed a lot again. Because of injuries to players, Team India has had trouble finding the right person for this spot throughout the year. Now, they’re forced to test out various players for this position.