diff --git a/opencage/batch.py b/opencage/batch.py
index b6bd9fb..98d9c70 100644
--- a/opencage/batch.py
+++ b/opencage/batch.py
@@ -60,10 +60,21 @@ async def read_one_line(self, row, line_number):
         if len(row) == 0:
             raise Exception(f"Empty line in input file at line number {line_number}, aborting")
 
-        if self.options.reverse:
-            return {'id': row[0], 'address': f"{row[1]},{row[2]}"}
+        if self.options.has_headers and line_number == 1:
+            return None
+
+        if self.options.input_columns:
+            # input_columns option uses 1-based indexing
+            address = [row[i-1] for i in self.options.input_columns]
+        elif self.options.reverse:
+            address = [row[1], row[2]]
         else:
-            return {'id': row[0], 'address': row[1]}
+            address = [row[1]]
+
+        if self.options.reverse and len(address) != 2:
+            self.log(f"Expected two comma-separated values for reverse geocoding, got {address}")
+
+        return { 'id': row[0], 'address': ','.join(address) }
 
     async def worker(self, queue, progress):
         while True:
@@ -94,8 +105,8 @@ async def _geocode_one_address():
 
                 try:
                     if self.options.reverse:
-                        lon_lat = address.split(',')
-                        geocoding_results = await geocoder.reverse_geocode_async(lon_lat[0], lon_lat[1], **params)
+                        lon, lat = address.split(',')
+                        geocoding_results = await geocoder.reverse_geocode_async(lon, lat, **params)
                     else:
                         geocoding_results = await geocoder.geocode_async(address, **params)
                 except OpenCageGeocodeError as exc:
@@ -124,18 +135,16 @@ async def write_one_geocoding_result(self, result, address, id):
             id,
             result['geometry']['lat'],
             result['geometry']['lng'],
-            # Any of the components might be empty:
-            result['components'].get('_type', ''),
-            result['components'].get('country', ''),
-            result['components'].get('county', ''),
-            result['components'].get('city', ''),
-            result['components'].get('postcode', ''),
-            result['components'].get('road', ''),
-            result['components'].get('house_number', ''),
-            result['confidence'],
-            result['formatted']
         ]
 
+        for column in self.options.add_columns:
+            if column in result:
+                row.append(result[column])
+            elif column in result['components']:
+                row.append(result['components'][column])
+            else:
+                row.append('')
+
         self.outfile.writerow(row)
 
     def blank_row(self, id):
diff --git a/opencage/command_line.py b/opencage/command_line.py
index 3203ced..ea872fb 100644
--- a/opencage/command_line.py
+++ b/opencage/command_line.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ def parse_args(args):
 
     parser.add_argument("--limit", type=int, default=0, help="number of lines to read from the input file")
     parser.add_argument("--has-headers", action="store_true", help="if the first row should be treated as a header row")
-    parser.add_argument("--input-columns", type=comma_separated_type(int), default="1", help="comma separated list of integers")
+    parser.add_argument("--input-columns", type=comma_separated_type(int), default="", help="comma separated list of integers")
     parser.add_argument("--add-columns", type=comma_separated_type(str), default="_type,country,county,city,postcode,road,house_number,confidence,formatted", help="comma separated list of output columns")
     parser.add_argument("--workers", type=ranged_type(int, 1, 20), default=1, help="number of parallel workers")
     parser.add_argument("--timeout", type=ranged_type(int, 1, 60), default=1, help="timeout in seconds")
@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ def range_checker(arg: str):
 
 def comma_separated_type(value_type):
     def comma_separated(arg: str):
+        if not arg:
+            return []
+
         return [value_type(x) for x in arg.split(',')]
 
     return comma_separated
diff --git a/test/fixtures/forward.csv b/test/fixtures/forward.csv
index 84fcab1..5b29159 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/forward.csv
+++ b/test/fixtures/forward.csv
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-Rathausmarkt 1, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
-10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA
-C/ de Mallorca, 401, 08013 Barcelona, Spain
\ No newline at end of file
+1,Rathausmarkt 1, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
+2,10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA
+3,C/ de Mallorca 401, 08013 Barcelona, Spain
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/test_cli_args.py b/test/test_cli_args.py
index 33e798d..0f918ab 100644
--- a/test/test_cli_args.py
+++ b/test/test_cli_args.py
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ def test_defaults():
     assert args.forward is False
     assert args.limit == 0
     assert args.has_headers is False
-    assert args.input_columns == [1]
+    assert args.input_columns == []
     assert args.add_columns == ["_type", "country", "county", "city", "postcode", "road", "house_number", "confidence", "formatted"]
     assert args.workers == 1
     assert args.timeout == 1
diff --git a/test/test_cli_run.py b/test/test_cli_run.py
index 990b40c..78b018d 100644
--- a/test/test_cli_run.py
+++ b/test/test_cli_run.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ def test_main():
         "--input", "test/fixtures/forward.csv",
         "--output", "test/fixtures/output.txt",
         "--forward",
+        "--input-columns", "2,3,4",
     ])
 
     assert pathlib.Path("test/fixtures/output.txt").exists()
@@ -21,4 +22,4 @@ def test_main():
     with open("test/fixtures/output.txt", "r") as f:
         lines = f.readlines()
         assert len(lines) == 3
-        assert lines[0].strip() == "Rathausmarkt 1,51.9526622,7.6324709,social_facility,Germany,,Münster,48153,Friedrich-Ebert-Straße,7,9,\"Chance e.V., Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 7, 48153 Münster, Germany\""
+        assert lines[0].strip() == '1,51.9526622,7.6324709,social_facility,Germany,,Münster,48153,Friedrich-Ebert-Straße,7,9,"Chance e.V., Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 7, 48153 Münster, Germany"'