Follow UsEven before the third ODI against England kicked off on February 12 (Wednesday) in Ahmedabad, India had sealed the series on the back of a thumping win in Cuttack. However, one thing that remained a major talking point was the batting position of KL Rahul, who across each of the first two games had been pushed to No.6, with the left-handed Axar Patel instead taking Rahul’s favoured No.5 slot.
Axar shone with scores of 51 & 42* but Rahul’s form took a hit, with the right-hander posting scores of 2 & 10. Rahul returned back to the No.5 position in the third ODI - which was a dead rubber - but, as things stand, it’s unclear as to where the 32-year-old will bat in the Champions Trophy.
In a way, Rahul’s incredible record at No.5 - 1,299 runs @ 56.47 - warrants him batting in that slot but Gambhir asserted that he is someone who does not look at stats and stated that he’d much rather deploy a left-right combo for the benefit of the side.
"Why would you want to have top five as right-handers? We don't look at averages and stats and all that stuff,” Gambhir said after the third ODI.
“We look at who can deliver more at that number. And Axar has done fabulously well. Both the games [in which] he got the opportunity, he delivered for us. I know there will always be talk - there will always be people talking about it - but I think that's the way we want to go in future as well.
“It's not about the batting order, it's about who can create what impact. And it's about just if you have the option of putting a quality left-hand batter in the middle; why won't you do that?,” the team India head coach explained.
But Gambhir confirmed that, despite there being confusion over Rahul’s batting position, the 32-year-old will start ahead of Rishabh Pant at the Champions Trophy.
"At the moment, KL is a No.1 wicketkeeper for us, and he's delivered for us," Gambhir said.
"And see, when you've got two wicketkeepers in this squad, you can't play both the wicketkeepers with the kind of quality we've got. Hopefully, whenever he gets that opportunity, he should be ready for it. That's all I can say at the moment. Right now, KL is the one who's going to start."