'I wanted Virat Kohli to bat Number 4 in 2019 World Cup': Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri

Selectors are waiting for the final report on KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer’s fitness.

Team India are in a dilemma once again as the fixed middle order is still reeling under pressure from injuries. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are still at the NCA, showing improvement in their fitness, but selectors are still unsure about their availability for the Asia Cup or World Cup squad. These injuries have put India once again in deja-vu, as India are still unsure about the No. 4 position in the batting order, just like they were when they picked the World Cup 2019 and decided to drop Ambati Rayudu. Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri has given an out-of-the-box solution to fix the situation and also revealed his plan during the last World Cup in England.

‘Wanted Virat to bat at Number 4’: Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli

Talking about India’s number 4 dilemma, former Indian coach Ravi Shastri said that Virat Kohli could be one of the options for the number 4 position. Ravi Shastri said, “If Virat has to bat at No. 4, he will bat at No. 4 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 the coach in 2019, I thought I might have discussed that with MSK as well, of him batting at four just to break that top-heavy lineup.” Team India failed miserably in the semifinal against New Zealand as they were too dependent on the top three batters in the batting order.

After Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli were India’s top 3, and after that, it was all unsettled, and players were not sure about their positions in the team. Ravi Shastri revealed that to tackle this, he thought of putting Virat at Number 4. He added, “You know, because if we lost or three at the top, we were gone, and it was proved so just for reaching that experience, and if you look at Virat Kohli’s record, he is good enough at number four.” Virat Kohli has got a staggering numbers at no.4 position in ODIs. He has batted 39 innings at number 4 and scored 1767 runs at an average of 55.21 with 7 centuries and 8 fifties.

Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul might be there in the Asia Cup, as selectors have delayed the team selection and are waiting for the final update on these two names. If Iyer gets back in the Asia Cup squad, then the Number 4 problem looks solved for India, but if Iyer still looks unfit for the mega event, then India will have to try other options. India’s World Cup campaign will begin on October 8 against Australia at Chepauk in Chennai. Before the World Cup, they will participate in the Asia Cup 2023 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka starting on August 30.

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