Former India coach Ravi Shastri has revealed that he contemplated the idea of sending Virat Kohli into bat at the No. 4 position during the 2019 ODI World Cup to diversify the batting lineup, which was heavily skewed towards the top order back then. Referring to Kohli's performance at the number four position, where the star batter amassed 1767 runs at an impressive average of 55.2, Shastri pointed out that his intention was to ensure adaptability in the top four positions.
"If Virat has to bat at four, he will bat at four in the interest of the side. You know, there were times I thought of it. Even in the previous two World Cups, when I was coach in 2019, I thought I might have discussed that with MSK [Prasad] as well of him batting at four just to break that top heavy line up,” Shastri said in a chat on Star Sports’ Selection Day show.
"You know, because if we lost two or three at the top, we were gone and it was proved so. Just for that experience… And if you look at Virat Kohli's record, he is good enough at number four," he added.
