If Virat has to bat at four, he will bat – Ravi Shastri shares his thoughts on Virat Kohli’s batting position in the ODI World Cup 2023

As India gear up for the 50-over World Cup, with the pressure piling up on the hosts to end their 12-year-long drought in the quadrennial extravaganza, a lot of questions are starting to manifest, and not all of them are very pleasant ones.

In a reference to India’s middle-order that has somewhat been shaky and after the West Indies series posed more questions than answers for the Indians, Ravi Shastri opened up on a thought he had pertaining to the 2019 World Cup.

India crashed out of the tournament in the semi-finals after New Zealand managed to get the better of them following an early batting collapse. Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni did try everything they could but before they could get back in the hunt for victory, Jadeja fell to a miscued hit while Dhoni fell short of the crease, putting an abrupt end to the hopes of the Indian fans.

Then India coach, Shastri revealed that he wanted a change in the batting order and wanted one of India’s star batters, Virat Kohli, to walk out at No.4. Shastri believed that it would have strengthened India’s batting order and provided them a much-needed anchor that India lacked strongly in the semis.

Shastri said, “If Virat has to bat at four, he will bat at four 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 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 line up."

The former Indian cricketer further added, “You know, because if we lost two 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.”