ICC World Cup 2019: 3 players who can bat at no. 3 if Virat Kohli bats at four 

India had an exceptional 2018. The Men in Blue clinched one after another milestone in these last twelve months. Virat Kohli's men thrashed South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand in their respective home fixtures and sent a strong message to the world saying they are as lethal and dominating away from home as well.

There is no denying in the fact India is one of the most challenging teams at home, however, the status is surely making a shift. The current set of players led by ever-energetic Kohli have made it clear that they are going to make it count irrespective of conditions and venues.

One more development that Indian cricket has climbed recently is the improvement in the seam bowling department. The team has been producing strong shows with the ball, which remains an important factor when you travel overseas. The bowlers have been able to bundle the opposition well before the 50 overs and quite easily in longer-version of game.

However, amid all this, there is one major department where Men in Blue are still fragile and that is the middle-order. Despite trying several options, the results haven't been positive enough. Indian coach, Ravi Shastri recently said that they could try skipper Kohli at number four to get rid of the limping middle-order.

But now the question that arises is who will bat at three if Kohli goes at four. Let's check out the three options who can do this job for India, particularly in the all-important World Cup.

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#3 Vijay Shankar

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Although still a fresh name in team India, Vijay Shankar has impressed one and all with his distinctive skills. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer made his way to the national team after some consistent performances at the domestic level.

Earlier this year, he debuted for India against Australia and later appeared in the New Zealand series as well. He was promoted up the order in quite a few matches and he did well enough to get in the reckoning.

Having the ability to go after bowlers and rotate strike, Shankar can surely be an option for number three. Additionally, he can later come out and bowl his medium-pace during the middle of innings.

#2 Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu has the experience of playing in the top-order

Ambati Rayudu has been batting for India at number four during recent times. He undoubtedly played some good knocks in the middle, however, hasn't been consistent enough.

There have been some queries about his slow scoring-rate as well. Though, having seen a lot of him in IPL, it's clear that he owns the skill of dislodging the bowlers, be it seamers or spinners. Meanwhile, promoting him a bit up, that is sending him at number three instead of four, might well help India's middle-order chaos.

Then, Kohli can come at four and assemble the innings in the middle. While, Rayudu will get to play his natural game as he won't feel much pressure batting at three, largely because he would have one among Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan playing from the other end.

#1 KL Rahul

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KL Rahul has been around for a while now. The right-handed batsman clearly is a handy customer, owing to his distinctive capabilities. However, he hasn't lived up to the hype thus far in international cricket. Despite having given a lot of chances, the Bangalore-born cricketer hasn't been consistent especially in one-day and Test cricket.

He has been tried at several positions ranging from opening the innings to batting at number four. Though from his career-chart, it's easily visible that he likes to play up the order. So, if India is looking to bat Kohli at four, Rahul surely would be the most probable option to bat at three.

The 26-year-old owns shots all-around the park and most importantly, knows how to play those big knocks. In English conditions where new-ball is always hard to get off, players like Rahul who like to send the ball to outfield play a crucial role.