IND vs PAK: 'Virat Kohli Will Get Marginalized More And More...'- Ex India Opener's No-Nonsense Verdict On Ravi Shastri's Number 4 Advice

Former batsman Aakash Chopra has warned Team India against demoting Virat Kohli to No.4 in the batting order for the upcoming World Cup.

With Shreyas Iyer returning from a long injury layoff and no other reliable option available, there have been suggestions from several quarters to bat Virat Kohli at the crucial position. Before being injured, Shreyas Iyer was India’s go-to man for the No.4 spot.

The right-handed batsman had pretty much cemented his spot in that position thanks to his impressive displays with the bat. In 20 innings at the No.4 position, Iyer scored 805 runs at an average of 47 with the help of 2 centuries and 5 fifties. However, he suffered a back injury in March and has yet to play a competitive game since then.

Iyer has been named in India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup but the fans and experts are showing little confidence in him due to his lack of game time. And several experts including former India coach Ravi Shastri demote Virat Kohli to No.4 from his usual No.3 spot. The former India skipper also has a good record at No.4 where he has scored 1767 runs at an average of 55.21 in 39 ODI innings.

Aakash Chopra warns Team India over-experimenting with Virat Kohli:

While only time will tell whether India demote Virat Kohli or not, Aakash Chopra has urged them not to do so. The former cricketer-turned-commentator believes that the move will help the opposition’s cause in the upcoming World Cup. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:

“Where should Virat bat? Everything has two or three sides to it. The first thing is, assuming it is an India-Pakistan match, you have Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan, a good bowling attack in front of you, what do you want as a Pakistan or an Australian team?

“When would they want Virat to come to bat? The fewer the overs are left, the better it is. They will want Virat Kohli to come to bat in the 45th over, it will be even better for them,” he added.

Aakash Chopra further said that sending Virat Kohli at No.4 will see him play fewer overs and it could reduce his effect on the game.

“As overs keep getting elapsed, Virat Kohli will get marginalized more and more. He is a big player but he can become big enough only if you give as much opportunity to him.”

“If you give someone a postcard and ask them to draw a picture, you will get a postcard-sized picture only. So from an opposition point of view, it’s very simple that you send Virat at No. 4. It is even better if you send him at No. 5 or No. 6,” said Aakash Chopra.

Virat Kohli has a solid record at No.3 in ODIs. Out of the 265 ODI innings that he has played so far, he has batted at that spot in 210 of them. 10777 of his 12898 ODI runs have come at that position. He has also scored a record 39 centuries at No.3.