3 experts who are open to Virat Kohli batting at No. 4 in Asia Cup 2023

There's something about Virat Kohli that even after Shreyas Iyer's return has been confirmed, the former captain is being seen as an option for India at No. 4.

It could be his record; Kohli has 1767 runs at an average of 55.22 from just 39 innings in the position. He has seven centuries at No. 4, more than what most players gather in their entire careers. In comparison, he averages 60.21 at No. 3. It won't be diabolical to say that he's India's current best batter at both No. 3 and 4.

Or it could be India's trauma, they have tried Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Sanju Samson at the position but none of them have shown enough promise. Samson who scored the only half-century for India at No. 4 in ODIs in 2023 is only been seen as a backup.

Sanjay Manjrekar called it a "cultural issue" in a recent interview, pointing to how Sachin Tendulkar was sent at No. 4 in the 2007 World Cup to accommodate other batters. He said Kohli has become the new "scapegoat" in that regard.

Still, some experts have sound opinions on why India's bonafide No. 3, should shift one spot down the order for India. Here are three of them:

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#3 Ravi Shastri

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that putting Shreyas Iyer in the playing 11 for the 2023 Asia Cup straight after his recovery would be asking "too much" of him.

Instead, he said he would like to put Kohli at number four, something he wanted to do as a coach as well, to break the top-order-heavy pattern.

“If Virat has to bat at four, he will bat at four in the interest of the side," ” Shastri said in a chat on Star Sports’ Selection Day show. "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 (Prasad, the then chief selector) as well of him batting at four just to break that top heavy line up."

“You know, because if we lost two or three at the top, we were gone and it was proved so just for reaching that the experience. And if you look at Virat Kohli’s record, he is good enough at number four,” said Shastri.

This would mean having someone fiery like Kishan at number three with Kohli at four. Kishan will also add another left-hander in the middle order, something that Shastri desperately tried with Rishabh Pant but didn't work.

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#2 Sunil Gavaskar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had a similar opinion. He doesn't want India to change the opening combination of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill but is open to protecting Kohli in swinging conditions by pushing him to No. 4.

“Any team has to be flexible…but I don’t want to disturb the top order," he told India Today. "I don’t think Rohit Sharma should be looking to bat down the order. Yes, you can look at having Kohli at No. 4, particularly, if a wicket falls early because the new ball can do some early damage.”

“Every time India has lost, I think it’s that the fact the new ball in the first 10-12 overs, India have lost three or four wickets, and both wickets out of these wickets have been Sharma and Kohli, who’ve been the victims, so it’s difficult. Maybe, look at it depending on the situation.”

However, if such swing-friendly conditions are available in Sri Lanka and India for the Asia Cup and the World Cup, India would need a player more technically sound than Kohli to help the team negate them before him.

Kishan has struggled on the few occasions he has played in such conditions at the highest level and no other batter, except perhaps KL Rahul, could be trusted to do the job.

But Rahul is likely to be out of the first few games of the Asia Cup and shifting him to No. 3 would empty his usual No. 5 position, causing further debate.

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#1 AB de Villiers: Virat Kohli is perfect for No. 4:

One of Kohli's best friends and long-time former teammate, AB de Villiers recently said that he'd be a "big supporter" of the shift.

De Villiers reasoned that even though No. 3 has brought the best out of the former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, he is versatile enough to move for the sake of the team.

"We're still talking about who will be the No. 4 batter for India. I've heard some rumours about Virat possibly taking up that position. I would be a big supporter of that," de Villiers said on his Youtube channel.

"I think Virat is perfect for No. 4. He can put the innings together, play any kind of role in that middle order. I don't know if he would like to do that. We know he loves his No. 3 position; he has scored all his runs there, but at the end of the day, if the team needs you to do something, play a certain role, you have got to put your hand up and got for it."

India's Asia Cup 2023 campaign will start on September 2 against arch-rivals Pakistan.