IND vs AUS: You Can Look At Having Virat Kohli At No.4, If A Wicket Falls Early – Sunil Gavaskar Wants Flexibility In The Indian Batting Order

Indian World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar has agreed with former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri’s idea of playing the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli at the No.4 spot to provide more flexibility in the batting lineup going into the ODI World Cup in India.

Many suggested that Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli go one step down in the batting to bring Ishan Kishan to the top of the order before the Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka. The former cricketers including Ravi Shastri and AB de Villiers have suggested playing Virat Kohli in that spot, as he has the ability to stabilise the innings in ODI cricket.

Speaking to India Today, Sunil Gavaskar urged the Indian team to be flexible in their batting lineup and suggested that the team management try moving Virat Kohli to the No. 4 spot if the team loses a wicket quickly up front. He believes that India’s top-order struggle is largely to blame for India’s poor performance in big matches.

“(On batting order) Any team has to be flexible…but I don’t want to disturb the top order. 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.” Sunil Gavaskar said

India had been facing a middle-order problem, particularly for the No. 4 spot, ever since the 2015 World Cup, as the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma too admitted that the team has struggled to find a player of Yuvraj Singh calibre in the team after he retired from the game.

Hardik Pandya Is The Kind Of Player Who Is A Game-changer Along With Ravindra Jadeja – Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar feels that part-time bowling of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma wouldn’t be handy for the Indian team going into the ODI World Cup in India and asserted that Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja would be crucial for the team, who can contribute to the team’s success with both bat and ball.

“(On Rohit & Kohli bowling) If they had been bowling quite regularly, yes, it could be good, but when you look at the successful teams in limited-overs cricket that have gone on to win championships”

“For India, you’ll find there have been full of all-rounders, batters who can bowl and bowlers down the order who’ve contributed when they get to bat about six or seven overs, they’ve contributed good runs”

“So, yes, I think the all-rounders are gonna be the key, so it’s good to see Hardik Pandya in the team. He’s the kind of player who is a game-changer along with Ravindra Jadeja. These two guys are going to be the key,” Sunil Gavaskar added.

Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya have played a crucial role in the Indian team over the last few years, and their ability to offer balance in the playing 11 helped the Indian team to register many memorable victories in recent years. The duo could be crucial for India in the ODI World Cup on home soil.