Follow UsAB de Villiers believes Virat Kohli could be the answer to India's No. 4 conundrum. Kohli, who has batted most of his career at three, could be forced to bat at four if either Shreyas Iyer or KL Rahul cannot recover in time for the Asia Cup. It is believed that Shreyas is most certain to play at the start the Asia Cup, but Rahul, who has not played a single game since injuring his thigh in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, could miss a couple of games in the tournament.
"We're still talking about who will be the No. 4 batter for India. I've heard some rumours about Virat [Kohli] possibly taking up that position. I would be a big supporter of that," Kohli's former teammate at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), de Villiers said.
“I think Virat is perfect for No. 4. He can put the innings together play any kind of role in that middle order. I don't know if he would like to do that. We know he loves his No. 3 position; he's scored all his runs there, but at the end of the day, if the team needs you to do something play a certain role, you have got to put your hand up and go for it."
Kohli has an impressive record batting at four. The former India skipper has scored at an average of 55.21 and operated at a strike-rate in excess of 90, but he has not occupied that position since January 2020 when he came in two down against Australia in Mumbai.
Shreyas was supposedly looking good during the training camp in Alur, but India continue to sweat on Rahul's fitness. India begin their Asia Cup 2023 campaign against Pakistan on September 2 in Palekelle.