India vs Australia: ‘Not insecure about where I bat’ - Virat Kohli hints at change in his batting position

IND vs AUS: During the pre-match press conference ahead of Mumbai ODI, Virat Kohli stated he is ready to come down the batting line-up in order to accommodate the trio of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul.

There is an old adage which says ‘don’t tinker with things that aren’t broken’, however, Team India seem to believe in a different ideology and that is why they are looking to fiddle with their batting order in the upcoming series against Australia. The two teams are scheduled to play three ODIs in Mumbai (Jan 14), Rajkot (Jan 17) and Bengaluru (Jan 19).

File image of India skipper Virat Kohli. (AP)

During the pre-match press conference ahead of Mumbai ODI, Kohli stated he is ready to come down the batting line-up in order to accommodate the trio of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul. Kohli said he is not possessive about where he plays and he is willing to change it if it helps the team.

“Look, a guy in form is always good for the team. You obviously want to have the best players available and then chose from what the combination should be for the team. There might be a possibility that all three (Rohit, Shikhar and Rahul) might play,” Kohli told reporters in Mumbai.

“It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field,” Kohli said on the eve of the match. Asked if he would he be happy to bat lower down the order, Virat said,”Yeah, big possibility. I would be very happy to do so. Look I am not possessive about where I play. I am not insecure about where I bat.” he added.

Kohli also said that the job of a captain is to ready the ‘next lot’ and not just be concerned about the team at his disposal currently.

“Being the captain of the team, it is my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready. A lot of the other people might not look at it that way, but your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now, but also to prepare a team that you leave behind when you eventually pass it onto someone else,” Kohli said.

Earlier, after the completion of T20I series against Sri Lanka, Dhawan was asked how will the selectors choose between himself, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma and he had said: “Not my headache”.

“All three players are doing well. Rohit’s 2019 was simply outstanding. Rahul too has been performing really well in the past couple of months. Main bhi a gaya hu picture mein, aj maine bhi acchar kar diya. Toh picture acchi ban rahi hai. Khair ye sirdardi meri nahi hai. (Now I’ve also entered the frame with my performance in this match but thankfully, that is not may headache),” Dhawan told reporters in Pune after India’s comprehensive win in 3rd T20I.