Former Indian Head Coach Ravi Shastri was recently asked if he thought Virat Kohli should continue as the batting opener for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League.

The batting line-up of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), particularly former skipper Virat Kohli's position, is one of the most talked-about topics ahead of the start of the 15th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

While some believe he should continue to open for RCB, others feel Kohli should return to the number three spot in the batting order to enhance the innings as the ball ages a little and the direction of the innings needs a little more experience behind it.  

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri weighed in on Kohli's batting position in the franchise's playing XI on Thursday. 

Last year, during IPL 2021, Kohli returned to his old role in the RCB lineup, with the goal of starting alongside Rohit Sharma for India in the T20 World Cup later that year.  

In 15 innings for RCB, he scored 339 runs at 28.9 with a strike rate of 119.5, including three half-centuries. Kohli, on the other hand, has always played at No. 3 for RCB in previous seasons. 

In an interview with ESPNCricinfo's video show T20 Time Out, Shastri gave a half-and-half response to the question about Kohli’s position in the batting lineup.  

While his first instinct was to watch the former RCB skipper bat at the number one or two spots, he went on to say that Kohli might be more useful to the squad’s requirements based on how strong the rest of the batting lineup may look by the time they play their first IPL 2022 match. 

Kohli's diminishing returns in the middle overs (7-15), where he has scored at 6.67 runs per over in the IPL since 2019, with a boundary every 12.7 balls, or more than two overs, are a good fit for a T20 side. On the other hand, the veteran cricketer averages 7.8 runs per over against the new ball, with a boundary every 5.2 deliveries.

For now, it is reported that Virat Kohli will begin alongside skipper Faf du Plessis, giving RCB a much-needed quality opening duo. Anuj Rawat, a young Indian with little international experience, will bat at No. 3 before Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik. If Kohli bats one down, the RCB batting order will remain strong. 

Earlier this year, Kohli’s preceding RCB captain and New Zealand legend Daniel Vettori had opined that the Indian batter should stick to the opener’s position as it allows him more time to settle in and get accustomed to the pitch and that’s when he transforms into a devastating batter.

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