Is Virat Kohli at No.4 in ODIs a good option?

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Should Virat Kohli be India's No.4 batsman?

"You don’t weaken a strength to strengthen a weakness" - Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell

For the past few months, India have had the answer to the newly-brewing KL Rahul vs Shikhar Dhawan debate or the second opener owing to latter's injury or Rohit Sharma's absence. But when the first real test of the management came at deciding on the position in the batting lineup, skipper Virat Kohli said, "there's a possibility all three might play," implying the possibility of him going to No.4.

The very words take us back to Ravi Shastri's notion of Kohli as No.4 if need be, before World Cup to which the 31-year-old came forth with a 'anything for the team' response. "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," Kohli said in Hyderabad, on the eve of the Australia series. "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. My games 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. If the team wants it at any stage, I'm more than happy to do it."

Is Kohli at No.4 the only solution to Rahul vs Dhawan debate?

The Indian skipper is arguably the best ODI batsman in the world now. With 11609 runs over his 12-year-long career, Kohli stands just a few steps away from break the greatest-of-all tally, still owned by Sachin Tendulkar. And almost 87 per cent of his total runs and 84 per cent of his total ODI centuries have been scored at No.3 at a staggering average of 63.39. Yet, the skipper feels that falling a position down would be better for the team in a bid to not keep out an in-form player.

But this time around, it does not go back to the old point of separating the top three. Back before World Cup, when Shastri's idea had shaken Indian cricket fraternity, most, including veterans felt that the formidable troika of Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli (in batting order) should be broken given their stellar dominance in the lead up to the tournament. However, this time around, it is about the practicality behind Kohli's statement and subsequently how the playing XI would turn out.

Kohli has batted over 180 times at No.3 in his career over 10 years and has sort of formed a template in his approach towards the game based on his position. According to Cricbuzz, since January 2017, Kohli maintains a strike rate of around 84 in his first 30 balls that he faces with a boundary per balls ratio of around 10. The strike rate gradually rises to 103 over the next 30 deliveries with his boundary ration falling only a tad bit. And in the six occasions he has walked in after the 20th over, the average time when a No.4 walks in, Kohli strikes at around 75 but with boundary every 16 balls.

Moreover, since the start of 2016, No.3s have a combined average of 42 and have a strike rate of 83, both of which are more than an average No.4 batsman in the same period. The difference can also be noticed in the case of Kohli's career numbers. An average No.3 batsman also faces almost six balls more in an innings than a No.4 batsman in ODIs. The difference is once again visible in case of Kohli's career statistics. Also, No.3 batters have combined to hit double the number of centuries in the same time period.

Batting position	Players	Span	Inns	NO	Runs	Ave	BF	SR	100
No.3	126	2016-2020	1001	87	38397	42	45928	83.6	97
No.4	160	2016-2020	982	110	31788	36.45	39028	81.44	41
No.3	Virat Kohli	2009-2019	180	30	9509	63.39	10068	94.44	36
No.4	Virat Kohli	2009-2019	38	7	1751	56.48	1935	90.49	7

Back in 2007, Greg Chappell had made a similar experiment by sending Sachin Tendulkar down at No.4 in a series in West Indies which ended on a disastrous note for the batsman. Kohli himself batted at No.4 a few times in the build-up to the 2015 World Cup in a bid to make way for Ambati Rayudu and Ajinkya Rahane, but MS Dhoni shrugged off the idea immediately.

What wrong did Shreyas Iyer do?

If Kohli moves to No.4, Iyer will be forced to bat at No.5, where surprisingly he has a better average, only a tad bit than No.4, in four innings which include a back-to-back fifty in West Indies in 2019. Iyer was only slowly establishing himself as a No.4 batsman. He scored 70 and 53 in the ODIs against Windies in December 2019. And most veterans and the skipper himself was left impressed with his batting in the middle-order. Even Shastri on many occasions, post World Cup, has touted Iyer to be India's long-term No.4 option.

India Tv - Shreyas Iyer

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Shreyas Iyer

Moreover, Iyer at No.5 means Rishabh Pant will be at No.6 and India will be going in with just five bowling options against Australia at venues with flat tracks and smaller boundaries. One between Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav will be part of the lineup and the remaining will be the premier bowlers.

Are India evading the Rahul vs Dhawan debate?

Rahul has been in a phenomenal form in limited-overs since his return in World Cup 2019. After featuring in two games as a No.4 batsman, Rahul was pushed as an opener in place of injured Dhawan. He scored two half-centuries - against Pakistan and Bangladesh - and then carved a sensational 111 against Sri Lanka. He was benched for the West Indies ODI series, played only one T20I and again sat out of the entire T20I series against South Africa at home to make way for Dhawan. He bounced back strong in the Bangladesh contest and in his last six T20I innings, he scored 315 runs at 52.50 with for half-centuries. He was also part of the three-game ODIs against Windies at home where he scored 102 and 77 in the last two matches.

India Tv - Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul

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Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul

Dhawan, on the other hand, has struggled at the crease amid his injury concerns. Since the 117 against Australia in World Cup, Dhawan played just two more ODIs, in West Indies, scoring only 38 runs in two innings. And in the 10 T20Is he played since World Cup, Dhawan managed 278 runs comprising only one half-century which he scored in Pune - his first in 14 months in the format.

Despite the numbers favouring Rahul, India are reluctant to leave out Dhawan given his career record in the format and most importantly, he gives India that left-handed option right at the start of the series. But isn't it time for India to move on if they want to prepare for the next World Cup from here on? Moreover, in the 10 innings that Rohit and Rahul have featured as openers in ODIs, the opening stand has averaged 92.30 with five century-plus stands, their highest being the partnership of 227 against West Indies last month.