IPL 2022: Ravi Shastri has his say on Virat Kohli's batting position for Royal Challengers Bangalore

Faf du Plessis will be leading Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 but his addition to the squad has raised debates on whether Virat Kohli will be opening the innings for the franchise.

Faf is being considered a confirmed opening batsman for RCB but questions remain over the batting position for former skipper Virat Kohli.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that Kohli should open the batting alongside Faf if RCB’s middle order is strong enough. Shastri said that it will all depend on the balance of the team.

"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," Shastri told EspnCricinfo.

Kohli opened the innings alongside Devdutt Padikkal last season and in 2016, it was the same position where he scored a record 973 runs in a season. However, with no AB de Villiers and a bunch of new faces in the middle order, a lot of experts believe that Kohli can decide to bat at No 3.

RCB will begin their campaign against Punjab Kings on March 27. They will then face Kolkata Knight Riders on March 30 in their second game. Ahead of the season, Kohli decided to leave the captaincy role and RCB decided to go with the experience of Faf. The South Africa international was the second highest run-scorer for Chennai Super Kings last season as they cruised to their fourth IPL title.