Virat Kohli will have to 'sacrifice' his No. 3 position: MS Dhoni

Perth, Jan 29: India captain MS Dhoni today said Virat Kohli will have to "sacrifice" his number three batting position for the team.

Points Table; Tri-series schedule; World Cup Special

There have been numerous debates on Kohli being moved to number four position in the ongoing tri-series, from his usual three. And he has failed there. However, Dhoni had defended the move and on Thursday too he explained the reasons.

Speaking to the media ahead of winner-takes-all match against England in Perth, Dhoni said the team needed to be flexible in the batting order going into the World Cup.

"If I am batting at 6 and I am worried before going for a big shot whether the following batsman will be able to capitlise in the last eight overs, it is not a good place to be in," Dhoni said.

"If Virat (Kohli) gets a partnership going, I am there, Raina is there and we can maneuver the strike and capitalise.

"It is also important to look at the XI you're playing and decide which batsman batting where will benefit the team most. So a batsman who loves to bat at a certain position will have to sacrifice," the 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman explained.

The skipper said by the start of World Cup, batsmen will know their exact batting positions. "By the start of World Cup we'll have a better picture of who bats where."

"More than the batting number, the number of overs is important. If the openers play till the 38th over, you'd like your No. 7 batsman to walk in rather than the No. 3," he added.

India and England face off in Perth on Friday. The winner goes to the final on Sunday to meet hosts Australia.

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