‘Virat Kohli is perfect for No. 4’, says AB de Villiers

Dubai, Aug 26 (IANS) Former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers has suggested Virat Kohli could be the answer to India’s No.4 conundrum at the World Cup.

Speaking on his Youtube channel 'AB de Villiers 360’, Kohli’s former IPL teammate said, "We're still talking about who will be the No. 4 batter for India. I've heard some rumours about Virat (Kohli) possibly taking up that position. I would be a big supporter of that.”

“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's 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 go for it."

With Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul only recently returning to the squad after their long-term injuries, India’s middle order has been a topic of discussion ahead of the Asia Cup and the World Cup.

Captain Rohit Sharma stressed on the importance of flexibility in the batting order when India announced their Asia Cup squad and conveyed that players should be ready to bat at any position.

Iyer, who returns from his back surgery, is currently the most likely to fill that No.4 position but Kohli has previously found great success in that role.

Batting at No.4, Kohli has managed to score seven centuries and has an impressive average of 55.21 alongside an equally impressive strike rate of 90.66. On the flip side though, he has not batted in that position since January 2020 when he played against Australia in Mumbai.

Although the middle order could retain stability with Iyer looking good in India's Asia Cup training camp in Alur, KL Rahul’s fitness is still a worry and he could miss at least two games in the Asia Cup which starts August 30.