There are hardly any players in this era of specialisation who ace down multiple roles. Top-order batters feel extra comfortable when they start inside the powerplay, while finishers might not know how to build an innings if they enter the crease early on. However, there are exceptions. KL Rahul is one such unique talent who is perhaps the most adept player in the current Indian setup.
KL Rahul’s batting slot – A Revolving door
The Karnataka-born player was earmarked for an international journey as a middle-order batter before being a superb asset as an opener. He opened across formats but some decline in form saw him get ousted. But of course Rahul doubles up as a keeper too and his career saw a resurgence as a No. 5 batter in ODIs. Simultaneously, he remoulded his Test career as well as an opener while also rediscovering his IPL career as a No. 4 in the IPL.
Rahul’s resurgence in the ODI format began when he came back from his surgery at the Asia Cup 2023. He replaced Iyer in the playing XI against Pakistan and delivered a fabulous ton.
Since his ODI comeback, KL Rahul has managed to muster 1106 runs at a superb average of 55.30, which is only bettered by Virat Kohli in this period for India. He has worked terrifically on his strike rate as well, having now been batting at that crucial number 5 position.
Just as we thought that KL is a fixed commodity at five, in came Gautam Gambhir and his obsession with a left-hander in the middle order. Ever since Gambhir’s tenure began, Rahul has batted just once at the number five slot, potentially wasting all the work he did at the ODI World Cup 2023.
KL Rahul confirms he’ll bat at 6
Asked about his batting slot in the upcoming India vs South Africa ODIs, Rahul was quick to reveal that he would continue at number six. “I will be batting at 6; that’s what I have been batting,” Rahul told reporters ahead of the first ODI in Ranchi, where he will lead the Indian side. With Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer both injured, Rahul has been given the responsibility to lead the pack.
Gambhir used Axar Patel at number five to counter the opposition spinners and it was a successful ploy at the ODI Champions Trophy 2025. However, the pitches at that tournament favoured spinners heavily. But in batting-friendly conditions, you might just want your best batters to face as many balls as possible.
Hence, it might not be best suited for India to have Rahul at six. In the upcoming ODIs, India have mysteriously dropped Axar from the squad and brought back Ravindra Jadeja. One of Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to bat at five.
Also, Rahul is someone who would do better if he settles in and faces a few extra balls early on in his innings. He batted with that template in 2023, a year that saw him rack up 1060 runs (his career best). But at number six, that luxury might not be there. His batting might come in situations where he has to go hard from ball one. It is not that Rahul cannot bat at six, but more about making full use of the resources and India might just fail in that opportunity.
KL Rahul ODI batting numbers at 4, 5 & 6
| Position | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th | 13 | 558 | 111* | 55.80 | 86.78 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 5th | 31 | 1299 | 112 | 56.47 | 96.36 | 2 | 9 | 36 |
| 6th | 10 | 243 | 42* | 40.50 | 94.18 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
India’s likely Playing XI for Ranchi ODI vs SA
- Rohit Sharma
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Virat Kohli
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Ravindra Jadeja
- KL Rahul (C)
- Washington Sundar
- Harshit Rana
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Arshdeep Singh
- Prasidh Krishna
