Kris Srikkanth on KL Rahul batting at No 6: ‘Hey Gambhir, what you are doing is not right’ | Cricket News

Former India captain K Srikkanth has criticised head coach Gautam Gambhir for the decision to slot KL Rahul at No 6 in the ongoing ODIs against England. In both the matches so far, with India preferring to have left-right combination in the middle, Rahul has been demoted to No 6, one position lower than he usually bats in the ODIs with Axar Patel coming in at No 5.
Srikkanth who has previously been the chairman of selectors called the move unfair on Rahul, especially since he had been the best performing player at No 5 over the past couple of years. “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.
Axar who walked in to bat at No 5 in the two ODIs has justified the promotion scoring 52 and 41. However, Rahul has made 2 and 10. And speaking of the left-right combination Srikkanth said this flexibility could come back to bite India.
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India’s KL Rahul celebrates his fifty runs on the second day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)
“”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 consent 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. You can’t justify it 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?” he added.
Srikkant said if the team management prefers a left-hander, then it should include Rishabh Pant in the XI as he is best equipped to bat at No 6. “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?” he added.
Given the low scores, Srikkanth said there is a strong chance that Rahul could up warming the bench at the Champions Trophy. “Now, what you’ve done is you’ve sidelined Rishabh Pant as well. One of them has to play. I have a feeling Pant will feature in the third ODI and then in the Champions Trophy too. Rahul might end up warming the bench again,” he added.
“You should play your best player at No. 5, regardless of whether he is left-handed or right-handed,” he added.