Agarkar speaks against Virat Kohli batting at Number 4: The former cricketer wants the Indian captain to bat at Number 3.
India captain Virat Kohli’s batting position seems to have become the new debate in the town. Arguably the best contemporary batsman at No. 3, there have been talks of him batting at No. 4 during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
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It all started after India coach Ravi Shastri made public the idea of demoting Kohli down the order after India defeated New Zealand 4-1 in the five-match ODI series last month.
Hailing the coach’s opinion as a “wonderful thought”, chief selector MSK Prasad had also expressed approval of Kohli batting at No. 4 during the world event. Speaking during the pre-series press conference at Hyderabad on Friday, Kohli himself said thta he would be “more than happy” to bat where the team requires him to.
There is no escaping from the fact that the conversation has allured plentiful eyeballs in the recent days. Given the cricketer, the batting position and his record at that position, the idea has it in it to have ramifications upon implementation.
“It will be silly to push Kohli down”
During a show on ESPNcricinfo, former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar spoke strictly against the move. The 41-year old highlighted Kohli’s record at No. 3 to justify his statement.
“Those numbers tell you the story – 32 hundreds at No.3. And yeah, the numbers still are good at No.4. But still, not at all. Why would you push your best batsman lower down the order when most of his career, the greatness that he has achieved at No.3 and he sets up the game or finishes off the game for India at that number,” Agarkar was quoted as saying.
Agarkar also mentioned that the top three have been doing so well for India on ODIs. Claiming the decision to be a “silly thing”, Agarkar didn’t find it worth the risk especially for batting Lokesh Rahul at No. 3.
“He is right in saying that I don’t mind batting at No.4, but I feel it will be a silly thing for India to push Kohli down the order. And not for batting KL Rahul at No.3. The top three are the reason why India are doing so well in one-day cricket. In middle-order, there are a few worries,” Agarkar added.
