Virat Kohli has sort of become scapegoat in the sense that you bat him at No.4 and all problems are solved: Sanjay Manjrekar

With the ODI World Cup 2023 rapidly approaching, team India will be keen on perfecting their squad that will be taking part in the marquee event. However, one consistent talking point for Team India would be the dispute over the number 4 batter. Over the years, India has been unable to find suitable players to take on the number four role.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri recently came forward to state that he had several conversations with the selectors in the ODI World Cup 2019 and wanted ace batter Virat Kohli to bat at number 4 and fill the middle-order void.

However, many former cricketers did not take the idea kindly and presented Shastri with a reminder of what happened to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the 2007 ODI World Cup. Tendulkar was sent to bat down the order and only managed to score seven runs in two matches, both of which India lost.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar was one of the cricketers who was against the idea of Kohli coming in to bat in the middle order. “The more and more you talk about other options like Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli seems to get relegated. He has sort of become the scapegoat in the sense that you bat him at No.4 and all your problems are solved,” Sanjay Manjrekar said in a segment at Star Sports. 

It is really up to Kohli: Tom Moody

Furthermore, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody had a similar opinion to Shastri’s. Making sense of Tendulkar’s batting in the middle-order in the 2007 World Cup, Moody opined that Kohli batting at number 4 is a simple solution, but it concerns Kohli whether he wants to do it or not. 

“There is also a cultural issue in Indian cricket. In the 2007 World Cup, the team management of Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell sent Tendulkar at No.4 instead of opening because they had people like Virender Sehwag and others at the top of the order. But that became a huge controversy. So it is really up to Kohli, an iconic player, on whether he wants to bat at No. 4. It seems like a perfectly simple solution, but it concerns Kohli,” Tom Moody said.