Veteran Indian spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin has backed former head coach Ravi Shastri’s idea of Virat Kohli batting at No. 4 in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. Shastri had recently said that Kohli can bat at No. 4 in the interests of his team, as it would allow India to have a strong top order and a flexible middle order.
Ashwin, who has played under skipper Kohli and coach Shastri, said that Kohli had batted at No. 4 in the 2011 World Cup, which India won at home. However, he also said that the only way Kohli would bat at No. 4 is if KL Rahul, who is currently injured, does not recover in time for the mega event.
“Virat Kohli batted at number 4 in that World Cup [2011]. In fact, Ravi Bhai has mentioned that, if necessary, Virat Kohli should bat at number 4. I think he mentioned that so that we can accommodate a left-hander,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“The only way that can happen is if KL Rahul doesn’t get fit, and when they need a keeper, they can open with Ishan Kishan. That’s the only possibility because Shreyas Iyer is one of the go-to players for Team India in ODIs as a batter,” he added.
Kohli, who is regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world, has mostly batted at No. 3 in white-ball cricket. However, he has not batted at that position since January 2020.
India’s No. 4 conundrum not new
India’s No. 4 conundrum has been a long-standing issue, especially in big tournaments. In the 2019 World Cup, India tried various options like Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik, but none of them could cement their place. Since then, India has experimented with Rahul and Iyer, who have shown promise but have been sidelined due to injuries.
With less than two months to go for the ODI World Cup 2023, India will have to find a solution to their middle order woes.
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