Former Indian cricketers Wasim Jaffer and Aakash Chopra has picked former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli’s batting position. Both Jaffer and Chopra believe batting at No.3 will provide RCB with stability to the order.
Incidentally, Kohli’s batting position has varied over the years. He has opened at times and has also come out to bat at one down. Aakash Chopra and Wasim Jaffer believes it has impacted Virat Kohli’s game, saying that musical chair was being played with the No.3 spot.
In an interaction with ESPNCricinfo, Chopra believes Kohli batting at one down will be the best option given that there is no AB de Villiers to lift up the team in case of an early collapse.
The 44-year-old cricketer-turned-commentator said:
“Last year, when Kohli was opening the batting, a game of musical chairs was being played for the number three spot. They stopped at Srikar Bharat at the end but then sent him at number four too. We’ve seen this a lot in RCB’s recent history that they shuffle the batting order a lot, but if you can identify the crucial positions beforehand, it would be better.”
He added:
“Also, keep in mind that there’s no AB de Villiers. When he was there, they were assured he would handle the situation from number four to five. Of course, you have Dinesh Karthik, but he isn’t AB de Villiers. You will want Virat Kohli to take the game deep and stay on the pitch till the 14th or 15th over. So I’ll say Virat Kohli at three.”
“He plays better at No.3” – Wasim Jaffer on Virat Kohli’s batting position
The former Mumbai opener believes Kohli’s game is best suited for the No.3 position as he takes some time initially before pressing the gears. He stated:
“I prefer Virat Kohli batting at number three. I believe he can pace the game very well from there, whether he bats on the powerplay or later. He’s somebody who takes some time initially, but then his strike rate progressively goes up. In the powerplay, it seems as if he forces himself a bit to hit by using the crease, which I don’t think is his game. He’s obviously been successful as well, but I think he plays better at number three.”
It will be interesting to see what role he adopts as a batter after relinquishing leadership duties after IPL 2021.
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