India’s former captain Kris Srikkanth has criticised the decision of Gautam Gambhir to alter KL Rahul’s position in the batting order in the ODI series against England. Srikkanth pointed out that Rahul has an excellent batting record batting at 5th position but he said that moving him from his position for the sake of maintaining left-right combination is not right.
KL Rahul’s Batting Position Shifted
Srikkanth’s sharp remarks came after Axar Patel got promoted to No.5 in the 1st two ODIs of the series. Even though Axar made the most of the given opportunity Rahul could not score. Axar Patel scored 52 off 47 balls in the first ODI in Nagpur and 41 off 43 balls in the second match in Cuttack while Rahul scored only 2 runs off 9 balls in the first match and 10 runs off 14 balls in the second, as India chased a target of 305.
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“Very Unfortunate For KL Rahul”
“Shreyas Iyer is in good form, which is a positive for India. But I feel for KL Rahul, it’s very unfortunate. Yes, Axar Patel is scoring 30s and 40s, but what they are doing with KL Rahul is not fair. Look at his record, he has excelled at No. 5, with a brilliant record. I don’t know what the team management is thinking regarding his position. If he bats at No. 6 or 7, he ends up scoring 6 or 7. It’s unfair,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel
Kris Srikkanth Questions Gambhir’s Decision
“Hey, Gambhir, what you are doing is not right. Yes, depending on the situation, India can send Axar at No. 5, but it cannot be a consistent strategy. If you keep making such changes, you know what will happen—there will be a crucial match where everything falls apart. That’s what worries me,” he added.
“You can’t justify it by talking about the left-right combination. Does that mean you don’t care about a left-right combination in the top four? Why does it only matter at No. 5?
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“I have no issue with Axar Patel—he is making the most of his chances. But if you’re pushing Rahul down the order, then play Rishabh Pant at No. 6. Why undermine Rahul’s confidence?
“Is it fair to a player who has performed brilliantly in world cricket?”
India will be playing the third ODI against England on February 12 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
