Ashwin reveals ‘the only way’ in which Ravi Shastri’s World Cup wish for Virat Kohli can happen
The No.4 spot continues to be problem for India going into the 2023 World Cup, as was the case for them en route to the 2019 World Cup. Captain Rohit Sharma admitted that India have in fact struggled to fill that position since the retirement of Yuvraj Singh but this time, they have a problem of plenty and run the risk of ruining the balance of the top five if they choose to wrong batter in that position.
Virat Kohli has played some of his greatest knocks batting at No.3 for India in ODIs.
Tilak Varma, who made his international debut during the recently concluded T20I series in the West Indies, has emerged as a new contender to take the spot despite the fact that he is yet to play ODIs for India, while Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer are among the other options. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, however, stirred the pot by stating that Virat Kohli can go back to being India’s No.4 so that the team can accommodate three left-handers at the top of the order. Kohli used to bat at No.4 early in his career, most famously in the final of the 2011 World Cup which India had won. Gautam Gambhir was batting at No.3 which Kohli later made his own while Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar opened for India.
‘Can happen only if Rahul doesn’t get fit’
Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has now said that the only way this might actually happen is if KL Rahul can’t get into the team as Shreyas Iyer remains a top contender to take that No.4 slot. “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,” said Ashwin 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.”
Earlier, Shastri had said that Ishan Kishan should open while Rohit can go down to No.3. “Ishan Kishan should bat right at the top of the order. Rohit as a captain is vastly experienced. He can go in at three. he can go at four. This is where you have to see the player’s frame of find. How will Shubman Gill feel if asked to bat No.3 or No.4 as opposed to batting at the top? No one owns a position. If Virat has to bat at four, he will bat at four for the team,” “If you look at Virat Kohli’s record at No.4, it’s quite good,” Shastri had said on Star Sports.
