Ex-India Player Snub Idea Of Keeping Kohli At Number 4; Calls Virat ‘Scapegoat’

In 2019, prior to the World Cup in England, former India head coach Ravi Shastri acknowledged having in-depth conversations with then-chief selector MSK Prasad about the possibility. Which, he ultimately chose not to follow through on it. He restated it this week as India prepared for the Asia Cup, which will be followed by the 2023 ODI World Cup. Shastri believes Virat Kohli should fill the position because India is still having trouble with the No. 4 position. An ex-Indian player called Virat Kohli scapegoat because of the decision that is being taken.

No replacement for Yuvraj Singh

Even skipper Rohit Sharma acknowledged that the team hasn’t been able to identify a better alternative since Yuvraj Singh. Two cricket gurus, however, abruptly put a halt to Shastri’s plan by brutally reminding him of Sachin Tendulkar’s performance at the 2007 World Cup.

India’s lowest performance at the 50-over competition has always been in the 2007 edition. India lost to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the group stage despite having a team with several household names like Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid (captain), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, and Harbhajan Singh.

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Sachin Tendulkar – the culprit

Tendulkar’s name was at the top of the list of significant factors cited for the forgettable performance for a weird World Cup management choice that had been made. The former was placed at No. 4, where he managed to score 7 and a duck in two innings, both of which India lost, breaking the formidable opening duo of Tendulkar and Ganguly, who were in excellent form and had countless records to their credit.

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Virat Kohli has been used as a scapegoat

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar stated on Monday that the “iconic” player seemed to have become the “scapegoat” amid experts seeking to explore fitting other choices like Ishan Kishan in the lineup. Shastri had proposed moving Kohli down to No. 4 in his hypothesis.

“The more and more you talk about other options like Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli seems to get relegated. He has sort of become the scapegoat in the sense that you bat him at No.4 and all your problems are solved,” he said.