Durban, Feb. 1 (TNS): Ahead of the first ODI between India and South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban, Indian skipper Virat Kohli revealed that ploy to experiment with his side will continue even as team India tries to solve the puzzle for the fourth spot in its batting order. Stating that there is not much time left before the world cup, Kohli admitted that the fourth position needs to be sorted and maintained that Ajinkya Rahane is a strong contender for the number four slot.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the Indian skipper said, “We have explored many options in the last few months. We don’t have too many series and too much time left before the World Cup, so we want to explore all the options before the World Cup.”
“I had said earlier that Ajinkya Rahane would be looked at as a third opener but that situation can change because he has batted at No. 4 in a World Cup (in 2015) before. These conditions are such that you get to play fast bowling throughout the innings so he becomes a strong candidate for No. 4,” he added.
“Other than him we have Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey. We don’t want to be one-dimensional. It depends whose technique is more suited to what spot especially in that particular country. All options are open,” PTI quoted Kohli saying.
Reflecting on the performance by lower-middle order, Kohli said, “Although the lower middle order is more or less sorted, the middle order is something we are still looking at. The combination is working well for us with Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni rotating and batting together.
“No. 4 is something we have experimented with in the last couple of series. That is the only spot I can see that needs to be solidified otherwise the team looks pretty balanced,” he added.
