Boss Mahendra Singh Dhoni Hints Virat Kohli Has to 'Sacrifice' No. 3 Position

India's ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wants nothing short of wins for his team and says batsmen like Virat Kohli should be ready to make sacrifices for the collective good.

Virat Kohli’s batting position is the biggest question plaguing India ahead of the World Cup. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni though may have a simple answer and has said that his batsmen will have to sacrifice their favourite number in the lineup for the collective good of the team. (Related: How long will India experiment?)

India take on England in a virtual knockout in the tri-nation series in Perth on Friday. The winner will play Australia. Much of India’s chances depend on their batting – Kohli being the mainstay. The Indian vice-captain managed just four runs – batting at No. 4 – when India last played and lost to England. And if Dhoni has his way, the batsman may have no choice but to reinvent himself at that batting number, regardless of his possible discomfort. (Also read: MS Dhoni wants team to 'win it all')

“It is also important to look at the XI you're playing and decide which batsman batting where will benefit the team most,” said Dhoni on the eve of the Perth match. “So a batsman who loves to bat at a certain position will have to sacrifice." (Also read: England ready to bully India again)

Kohli though has made the sacrifice for some time now and it has left him frustrated, especially on Australian tracks. The second-highest run-getter in the Test series against Australia, Kohli has scored an embarrassing 16 from his three innings in the tri-nation ODI series. Even England spinner Moeen Ali – hardly known for his batting -- has fared far better with 76 runs from three knocks. For the world’s second-best ODI batsman then, the numbers ahead of the all-important World Cup reflect poorly on his prowess.

Dhoni though hardly seems to care for individuals and is more focused on his batsmen playing as a unit and according to set plans. “More than the batting number, the number of overs is important," he said. "If the openers play till the 38th over, you'd like your No. 7 batsman to walk in rather than the No. 3."

Interestingly, India’s lower-order players have fared better than the openers who, alongwith Kohli, have stumbled and stuttered against both Australia and England. Shikhar Dhawan, in fact, has not moved from his opening spot and has still failed miserably. He has scored 11 from his three ODIs Down Under, forcing many to call him a flat-track bully.

While Indian batsmen are generally renowned to flourish on placid wickets, the track at Perth would be anything but flat. With in-form Rohit Sharma expected to be rested due to an injury, the onus would be on his fellow batsmen – especially those out of form like Kohli and Dhawan – to hit hard to hit big.