As India has already secured an unchallengeable 2-0 lead in the series, you would think that the Men in Blue are doing well. But there’s a serious worry about the form of KL Rahul, their middle-order mainstay.
After Gautam Gambhir became head coach, Rahul, who had been a star for India in that difficult No. 5 position in the run-up to the 2023 ODI World Cup, was dropped in the batting order. In his last four innings, the right-hander has scored 31, 0, 2, and 10 runs, which has either directly or indirectly impacted his ODI format.
Former Indian selector Kris Srikkanth also blasted the management and Gambhir for allowing Rahul to bat below No. 5.
“KL Rahul is in terrible shape, and Axar Patel is hitting brilliantly. Given Rahul’s record, what they are doing to him is unfair. There are very few people who can equal his stellar record at No. 5. Srikkanth posted on his YouTube channel, “I don’t know what the team management is doing with him; they’re pushing him to No. 6, where he’s only scoring six or seven.”
Srikkanth blamed the Indian coach, saying that Rahul’s talent at number six is being “WASTED.” He even went on to explain why India only uses a left-right combination at number five and not in the top four.
You are not being fair, [Gautam] Gambhir. This is not okay at all. It’s quite unjust. Rahul is likely to be out of form in a Champions Trophy match that is very important. A left-right combination is not necessary for the top four, but it is necessary for the remaining four. It’s quite unjust. At No. 6, why waste KL Rahul? Rather, play Rishabh Pant. As a result, they might even fire Rahul, which is completely unjust to Rahul,” Srikkanth raged.
As you can see, you must play your best player at number five. The fact that he is a right-hander, left-hander, or middle-hander is irrelevant. I’m not concerned! The whole way of thinking is wrong. While it might work right now, it might not work later. India shouldn’t make too many changes to the winning lineup; they should only start their strongest batter at number five.
Rahul has amassed 1259 runs at an average of 57.22 in 30 games at No. 5, which is about ten runs higher than his career average of 95.45 at strike rate.
What has Rahul done wrong? Don’t mess with other people’s positions. In the future, it could become expensive since India is tampering with someone’s shape. They lost 3-0 against Sri Lanka, and India ought to take note.
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