Virat Kohli to rethink his batting position: Here's why
What's the story
Indian skipper Virat Kohli shocked many fans when he demoted himself to number four in the opening ODI against Australia on Tuesday. Consequently, he could manage just 16 runs, as India posted a below-par total of 255. Meanwhile, the skipper said that he will have to rethink about batting at number four since India haven't done well whenever he has tinkered with his position.
Why four?
Why did Kohli bat at number four?
Kohli batted at number four, since three top-order batsmen, in the form of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and KL Rahul featured in the tie. While Rohit and Dhawan are the regular openers for the side, it prompted Rahul to bat at number three, who also prefers to open. Thus, Kohli had no choice but to demote himself to the fourth.
Quote
Trying to fit in Rahul messed things up, feels Kohli
"Because of the way KL has been batting, we have tried to fit him in the batting line-up. Having said that, I don't think it's quite gone our way whenever I've batted No. 4. So, we'll probably have to rethink that one," said Kohli.
The chance
Kohli defends giving others a chance and trying new things
Speaking further on the topic, Kohli defended the fact that he wanted to give others a chance and try something new, rather than following the old template. "I am allowed to experiment a little bit and fail as well at times. You lose games here and there but today was one of the days where it didn't come off," he added.
Performance by position
Kohli has a better scoring and winning rate at third
Considering Kohli's performance at number three and four, there is a difference. Batting at third, he has scored 9,509 runs in 180 innings, at an average of 63.39. As for number four, he has scored 1,767 in 39 innings at an average of 55.21. At number three, India have won 113 and lost 63, while at fourth, they have won 22 and lost 15.
Author's take
Should Kohli continue to experiment batting at number four?
Clearly, as per the above analysis, Kohli has cemented himself as a top performer, batting at number three. Further, with the series on the line, the author feels that Kohli cannot afford to experiment with his batting position. Thus, he should stick with his usual third spot in the two matches, even if it means dropping Rahul or Dhawan from the XI.