Ever since former India head coach Ravi Shastri floated the idea of asking Virat Kohli to bat at No.4 instead of his preferred No.3 during the Asia Cup and World Cup, there has been a lot of debate. While many former India cricketers including Gautam Gambhir have rejected the thought, it has received strong backing from none other than AB de Villiers. The legendary South Africa cricketer, who knows a thing or two about Kohli after sharing the dressing room with him in Royal Challengers Bangalore for about a decade, called himself a "big supporter" of Kohli batting at No.4 in ODIs.
"We're still talking about who will be the No. 4 batter for India. I've heard some rumours about Virat (Kohli) possibly taking up that position. I would be a big supporter of that," de Villiers said on his YouTube channel 'AB de Villiers 360’.
De Villiers agreed that Kohli might not prefer leaving the No.3 position because of the success he has achieved at that number for more than a decade now but he should be ready to adapt to a new role if the team requires it.
“I think Virat is perfect for No. 4. He can put the innings together, play any kind of role in that middle order. I don't know if he would like to do that. We know he loves his No. 3 position; he's scored all his runs there, but at the end of the day, if the team needs you to do something, or play a certain role, you have got to put your hand up and go for it," he added.
Shreyas Iyer the preferred No.4 for India
No.4 has been a topic of discussion in Indian cricket for a good five or six years now. Captain Rohit Sharma also agreed that India have been struggling to find an ideal batter at that number ever since Yuvraj Singh's retirement. From Ambati Rayudu to Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, more than a dozen players were tried at No.4 in the last five years but apart from Shreyas Iyer, no one has managed to find success.
{{/usCountry}}No.4 has been a topic of discussion in Indian cricket for a good five or six years now. Captain Rohit Sharma also agreed that India have been struggling to find an ideal batter at that number ever since Yuvraj Singh's retirement. From Ambati Rayudu to Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, more than a dozen players were tried at No.4 in the last five years but apart from Shreyas Iyer, no one has managed to find success.
{{/usCountry}}That is perhaps one of the reasons why Iyer, who has been declared fully fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) physios, after a long lay-off due to a back injury, is India's preferred choice at the No.4 position. Iyer has an average of 47 in the 20 innings that he has batted at No.4. Both of his ODI centuries have come while batting at that number.
How are Virat Kohli's numbers at No.4? What will India's batting look like if he bats in the middle-order?
What about Kohli? The last time the former India captain batted at No.4 was three years ago against Australia in Mumbai. But he has a terrific record at that number. In fact, N0.4 is the only position apart from No.3 where Kohli has scored an ODI century. He has seven of those out of his 46. The 39 have come while batting at No.3. His average of 55.21 at No.4 is marginally low from his average of 57 at No.3
So how will India's batting order look like if Kohli takes de Villiers and Shastri's suggestion? If Kohli bats at No.4, there is no place for Iyer in the side unless India decide to drop KL Rahul. Ishan Kishan can then take the wicket-keeper's and opener's role and Shubman Gill can slot in at No.3. It will then be a toss-up between Rahul and Iyer for the No.5 spot. This batting line-up can become a reality for the initial stage of Asia Cup as Rahul is still nursing a niggle. If he doesn't regain his fitness in time then India will have to play Kishan, whose best utilisation is at the top of the order. But Rahul, who has a 50-plus average at No.5, is available to keep then there should not by any reason to go for a complete overhaul of their batting line-up with about 40 days to go for the World Cup.