Virat Kohli should always bat at No.3 in T20Is and ODIs
Though there is not much time left between India’s first T20I against Australia and the second one, India must introspect some of the main reasons behind their narrow loss to Australia, and try to rectify them in the rest of the series.
Going into the first T20I, India were the favourites not just because of their form, but also the lack of form of their opponents who had lost four consecutive T20Is before the T20I against India at the Gabba. But many things went wrong in their first match on the long Australian tour, including Captain Kohli’s tactics.
One of the main reasons for India’s loss was the inexplicable decision to demote India’s best batsman in all formats, to number 4 position instead of his preferred number 3 slot, a position from which he has won India so many games in the past.
The target was a steep one, and that was all the more reason why the best batsman in the world and the master of chases, should have been given as much time as possible in the middle to steer this chase. When Rohit Sharma, India’s second-best limited over format batsman got out early, it was imperative for Kohli to come and bat alongside a fluent Dhawan.
The most probable reason for sending Rahul at number three instead of Kohli is that Rahul is a top order batsman and in fact is seen as the third opener. He is most useful either as the opening batsman or at number three. He is unlikely to be as useful if he comes in the middle or lower middle order.
So, as per the Indian think tank, if Rahul is in the squad then he must bat either as an opening batsman or at number three. If that indeed is the case, then India must consider someone like Shreyas Iyer or Manish Pandey in his position who can bat anywhere in the middle order. Rahul should be kept as a reserve opening batsman who should step in only when one of the regular openers is unavailable.
Virat Kohli’s position at number three should be non-negotiable, especially when India is chasing a target. There cannot be a greater folly than to demote Kohli in the batting order just to accommodate someone else in the top order.
It’s the beginning of a long tour, and India’s best batsman must get as much batting as possible. His form and confidence will be key to India's success. Unnecessary experimentation with the batting order will hurt Kohli and India’s cause in not just this T20I series, but in the other formats as well.