JOIN US While almost confirming that KL Rahul would bat at No 4 in the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, Virat Kohli stressed on the need for a flexible middle-order as well.
“We feel that KL obviously is such a solid player and before (hamstring) injury he had done well in all three formats,” said Kohli when asked if he could confirm if Rahul would bat at No 4. “It was unfortunate that he missed out and then Manish (Pandey) got chances (against New Zealand). Look KL will definitely be playing in the middle-order. We are not going to be predictable or have a set pattern anymore in terms of what we are going to do in ODIs or T20 cricket. Anyone could go anywhere. That’s what we are looking to do,” he explained.
The Indian skipper also assured that Pandey too will be backed by the team as he had a “bright future.” In the absence of Yuvraj Singh, Pandey was expected to take the No 4 slot but the change in top-order – both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan back firmly in the set-up -- has pushed Rahul down. That, Kohli felt, may just make Pandey’s playing chances a bit certain.
“Someone like Manish has done well and he has grabbed his opportunities,” he noted. “He has got a hundred in Australia as well, we know about his talent and what he brings on to the field as well, he a super fit guy and has a bright future ahead of him. So he will certainly be backed. All three guys (Kedar Jadhav being the third one) will have to compete for two spots in the middle order. There are no guarantees I would say; as long as there is healthy competition, everyone will keep pushing each other and that is only healthy for Indian cricket,” he analysed.
Kohli admitted it was tough for him to leave out someone like Ajinkya Rahane who was the man of the series in India’s previous limited-overs series. The Mumbaikar, batting at the top of the order in the Caribbean, produced scores of 62, 103, 72, 60 and 39 to top the run charts but the return of Rohit Sharma after the rest leaves him with no place in the 11.
“It’s the pecking order that you need to look at,” Kohli began. “Shikhar, who was not even in the mix of things till a few months back, when he comes back you see what he can do. So it becomes very difficult for you to understand as to what you do in that situation because he came back and scored in the Champions Trophy… He continued his form in the Test series and won you two Test matches with that bat. So, he is an impact player, and Shikhar and Rohit, we know what they have done in the past together. We understand their potential also. Jinks (Rahane) understands that at this stage he is the third opener in the team,” he elaborated.