When was the last time Virat Kohli batted at number 7 or lower in an ODI?
Star Indian batter Virat Kohli was slated to bat as low as No.8 in the first ODI against the West Indies played at Bridgetown, Barbados on Thursday, July 27. The plan from the team management was to hold back senior players like Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma so that other batters could be able to get some game time in the middle.
This was pretty strange for viewers and understandably so since Virat Kohli is one of the best ODI batters of all time and he has been at his absolute best at No.3. The lowest Kohli has batted in ODIs is at No.7 and that too just on four occasions.
This fact poses an interesting question - when was the last time Virat Kohli batted as low as No.7 in an ODI?
Virat Kohli last batted at No.7 during the 2011 World Cup
Virat Kohli's last ODI innings at No.7 came in India's infamous defeat to South Africa during Match 29 of the 2011 World Cup in Nagpur. It was the only game that the Men in Blue lost in the entire tournament on their way to clinching the title of world champions.
Openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar got India off to a cracking start, adding 142 runs for the first wicket. Sehwag scored a well-made 73, while Tendulkar scored a record sixth World Cup hundred which was also his 99th ton in international cricket.
At 267/1, it seemed like the hosts could get to the 350-run mark. However, what followed was a ridiculous batting collapse. India lost their next nine wickets in just 29 runs, getting bowled out for 296. Kohli batted at No.7 and could only score 1(3).
The Indian batters falling like ninepins gave South Africa some hope and Hasim Amla (61) got them off to a solid start. Half-centuries from Jacques Kallis (69) and AB de Villiers (52) kept them in the chase but the game ebbed and flowed as India kept on picking wickets at regular intervals.
While it seemed like the hosts could pull off a win at one point, the partnership between Johan Botha (23*) and Robin Peterson (18*) ensured that South Africa won in the last over with three wickets in hand and two balls to spare. It was an embarrassing performance from India, given the position that they were in at one point in their innings.