KL Rahul was a vital cog in India’s ODI machine. During the 2023 ODI World Cup, the wicketkeeper-batter showed the ability to rescue India from 2/3 and chase down 200 while remaining unbeaten at 97. On another day, he went on smash 102 off 64 when the team was 200/3.
KL Rahul moved from No. 5 spot
Not many possess the ability to change gears at the flip of a switch. But that’s what Rahul did while batting at number five. Despite excelling in the role, he has been demoted to number six and even seven since Gautam Gambhir took over as India’s head coach in July 2024.
Since then, Rahul has batted at number five in just 5 out of 20 innings. Mind you, it’s a position where he averages 63.20. Gambhir keeps on promoting players ahead of him. The decision stems from his decision to always prioritise the right-left combination. Sometimes it’s Axar Patel and other times it’s Ishan Kishan who gets the nod ahead of him.
Former India chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes Rahul has been wasted at the position. To demote a proper batter like him and restrict him to bat alongside bowling all-rounders and tailenders doesn’t seem like proper utilisation of your resources.
Gautam Gambhir’s mismanagement
Srikkanth even went as far as saying that Gambhir has treated Rahul like he did Sanju Samson or Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, both of whom were dropped during the India vs England T20I series after 3 failures each. Similar to them, Rahul hasn’t had a great run to prove himself.
“Will anyone send KL Rahul at No. 6 when chasing such a huge total? That guy has won you so much in tough run-chases. Just like you screwed up Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, now you are screwing up KL Rahul. Is Rahul a No. 6 or 7 batter? This is a gross injustice. His body language also looked like someone nervous yesterday,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
At Lord’s, England’s wicketkeeper Jos Buttler was sent to bat at number five with 3.1 overs to remain. He could go hell for leather with Joe Root at the crease and the likes of Will Jacks and Sam Curran left. In contrast, Rahul came at number six with 6 overs left, 84 runs needed and just Axar Patel to follow him.
Rahul managed to face just 8 balls and holed out while attempting to hit every ball. Had he been promoted to say number four, when 12.2 overs were left, he might’ve shown what he can do. But he has been wasted at number six. One fears whether he’ll be dropped in the future since he can’t score much with such limited opportunities.
“India needed someone to do the Jos Buttler role (the Englishman hit a 13-ball 41 in the first innings). That’s where Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer got out right away. But if Rahul had gone in at No. 4, he would have complemented Virat Kohli like they did a few times in the 2023 World Cup. Rahul is capable of accelerating easily. Instead, they sent him out to bat when the match was over. How was he possibly going to win the game needing 15 per over with Axar Patel?” he added.
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