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AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli have played plenty of cricket together for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) over the years and understandably share a great friendship.
It is natural to assume that De Villiers knows a lot about Kohli's game and vice versa given the number of times they have batted together and the massive partnerships that they've had.
With the likes of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul returning from long-term injuries, there has been a lot of talk about whether Kohli should be India's No. 4 in the Asia Cup as well as the upcoming ODI World Cup.
De Villiers, on his YouTube channel, liked the idea as he feels the star Indian batter has all the qualities needed to bat according to the demands of the situation at No.4.
While De Villiers understands that Kohli's best has come at No. 3, he believes that the veteran batter will do whatever the team needs from him. On that note, let's take a look at how both players have performed at No.4 in ODIs:
Appearances
With 42 innings to his name, Virat Kohli has played a lot of ODI cricket at No. 4. He did make some important contributions batting at that position, especially during the 2011 World Cup. He has also had some other memorable performances, with the Hobart hundred against Sri Lanka standing out.
After his horror run in England in 2014, Kohli did play at No. 4 for a few ODIs with Ambati Rayudu filling in at No. 3 position. He last played at No. 4 in 2020, when KL Rahul's stunning form saw him bat at No. 3.
AB de Villiers, on the other hand, has 131 innings at the No. 4 position, with a best score of 176. The South African legend clearly has had a lot more experience at that spot with some extraordinary performances.
Runs and Average
One of the main reasons why many in the cricketing fraternity, including AB de Villiers, seem to back Kohli at No. 4 is because of the success he has had at that position. He has scored as many as 1747 runs at an outstanding average of 55.21, showing that he has been in that situation a number of times and has also been effective.
On the other hand, De Villiers has scored a staggering 5736 runs at a brilliant average of 53.11. To have those numbers for more than a hundred innings shows exactly why the South African was rated as one of the best of the modern generation.
Milestones
Virat Kohli has a staggering 46 ODI centuries to his name and seven of them have come while batting at the No. 4 position. Moreover, he also has eight half-centuries in the same position, with a highest score of 139* in the Asia Cup 2014 against Sri Lanka when he led the Indian team.
De Villiers, on the other hand, has some ridiculous numbers at No. 4, with 32 half-centuries and as many as 15 hundreds to his name. He was arguably the fulcrum of the star-studded and competitive South African middle-order that came close to making it to the final of the 2015 World Cup.
While Virat Kohli's numbers aren't as sensational as that of De Villiers, they are promising enough for him to become a trustworthy No.4 for India. Do you think the Men in Blue should make Kohli the No.4? Let us know in the comments.
