Ever since ex-India head coach Ravi Shastri floated the idea of asking Virat Kohli to bat at No.4 instead of his preferred No.3 during the Asia Cup and World Cup, there has been a lot of debate. While many former India cricketers have rejected the thought, it has received strong backing from none other than AB de Villiers.

Villiers, who knows a thing or two about Virat Kohli after sharing the dressing room with him in RCB for about a decade, called himself a “big supporter” of Kohli batting at No.4 in ODIs.

AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel –

“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.”

De Villiers added – “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, or play a certain role, you have got to put your hand up and go for it.”

No.4 has been a topic of discussion in Indian cricket for a good five or six years now. Skipper Rohit Sharma also agreed that India have been struggling to find an ideal batter at that number ever since Yuvraj Singh’s retirement.

From Ambati Rayudu to Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, more than a dozen players were tried at No.4 in the last five years but apart from Shreyas Iyer, no one has managed to find success.

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