On the eve of the first ODI match against Australia, India captain Virat Kohli has hinted at a possible change in the batting order.
Going into the 2019 Cricket World Cup, India are looking to get the batting order right, and the skipper is ready to sacrifice his preferred position, which is number 3 to bat one position lower for the team's cause.
"If that’s the requirement of the team at a particular stage in the game or before a particular game, I’m more than happy to do it. I’ve batted a lot of times at No 4, so I don’t necessarily need to try it out because I’ve done that a lot of times in the past,” Kohli said on Friday.
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And it came as an endorsement to coach Ravi Shastri's suggestion that Kohli could bat at No 4 in the World Cup.
The skipper also made it clear that his style of batting won’t change much from No 3 to 4.
"My game doesn’t change from No 3 to No 4 because the template is quite similar. In any given situation, I back myself to play the game that I know," the 30-year-old added.
Kohli is probably the best number 3 in world cricket now. He has scored 8440 runs batting one down at an average of more than 60 per cent.
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In contrast, Kohli has an average of more than 58 batting at number 4. He has scored 1744 runs batting at two down 37 times.
For the record, he has batted in six positions so far – six times as an opener, four times each at 5 and 7, and once at 6.
