One of the crucial talking points to discuss for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of the commencement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 is their batting line-up, particularly pertaining to former skippers, Virat Kohli’s position. Some opined that Virat should continue opening for RCB while others feel that Kohli should be back at No.3 to control the batting order. On Thursday, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has come up with s suitable batting position for Kohli in the RCB’s playing XI.

Kohli returned to his familiar spot in the RCB line-up in IPL 2021 when he was opening alongside Rohit Sharma for India in the T20 World Cup in October later that year. He had amassed 339 runs in 15 innings for RCB at 28.9 and with a strike rate of 119.5, laced with three half-centuries that season. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo’s video show T20 Time Out, Shastri felt that Kohli should continue opening for RCB, but also acknowledged that it depends on the balance of the side.

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Ravi Shastri said, “That depends on the balance of the team. I wouldn’t know what their middle order is, but just in case they’ve got a very strong middle order, then there’s no harm in Virat opening.”

The notion that serves well if Kohli opens in a T20 side is his diminishing returns in the middle overs (7-15) where he scores at 6.67 runs per over since 2019 in IPL with a boundary every 12.7 balls, i.e. more than a couple of covers. On the contrary, Kohli scores at 7.8 runs per over against the new ball with a boundary every 5.2 balls.

Earlier, former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Daniel Vettori, speaking to ESPNCricinfo, opined that Kohli should open for RCB.

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Daniel Vettori had said, “I think every year this is a discussion point. Every year, by the time the season finishes, Virat Kohli opening becomes the right option. It’s irrelevant who is at the other end. I think he performs better in situations where he is allowed more time and his stroke-making is more successful in those first six overs.”