Follow UsEver since taking over the national side a year back, Gautam Gambhir has been someone whose tactics have always divided opinions, whether it be to employ Jasprit Bumrah in home Tests or stack the team in white-ball cricket (both formats) with all-rounders who can bat.
Seven months back, his decision to demote KL Rahul to No.6 in the Champions Trophy came under fire, but the tactic was ultimately vindicated thanks to the team winning the tournament.
But the debate surrounding Rahul’s batting position has once again heated up in the aftermath of the Perth loss against Australia, with the Men in Blue utilizing Rahul at No.6 despite as many as three early wickets. It was expected that Rahul would return to his usual No.5 spot in bouncy Aussie conditions but, as it turned out, it was Axar Patel who batted at No.5.
Former India captain and chief selector Kris Srikkanth was left shocked and baffled by the call, and termed the tactic to demote Rahul ‘absolute rubbish’.
“I had mentioned it even before the first ODI, KL Rahul should bat at No.4 and Shreyas Iyer should play No.5, because Shreyas is better against spin. This was an inexplicable call,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“I don’t understand why Axar was promoted. KL is a classy Rolls Royce. Even yesterday, he was the one who got the runs. He’s already someone who has proven that he can get plenty of runs if he bats up the order. He’s scored many tons at No.5 as well.
“Axar Patel going ahead of KL Rahul is baffling. It’s rubbish. It’s absolute rubbish.”
Axar (31) was in fact the second-best batter on the day for India after Rahul (38), but Srikkanth argued that India’s aim must be to maximize Rahul’s potential, rather than looking elsewhere to fill gaps.
“Axar batted well, yes, but that’s not the point. You have one of the world’s best and classy players in your XI, and you're saying ‘But Axar played well’. No, you should not look at it that way.”
Remarkably, under Gambhir, Rahul has batted only once at No.5, despite averaging 56.47 and striking at 96.36 batting in that position.