KL Rahul’s batting position became a talking point after India’s second ODI against New Zealand in Wellington, with former India cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth questioning why Axar Patel was sent ahead of him.India were struggling at 39/3 when Axar walked in to bat. Although he had handled difficult situations on the same pitch before, he struggled against New Zealand’s bowling attack.The uneven bounce and short-pitched deliveries troubled him, and he eventually lost his wicket after scoring just seven runs off 17 balls.Rahul, who came in after Axar, looked much more comfortable on a pitch where most batters from both teams found it difficult to score. His performance raised questions about the decision to send him so low in the batting order.
Srikkanth calls Rahul’s batting position unfair
Former India selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth strongly criticised the team management’s decision. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said, “But what justice is it to send Rahul at No.6 after Axar Patel?”He also pointed out that Rahul is an experienced player who has scored international centuries at No.3 and No.4. “Gautam Gambhir needs to understand Rahul is a marquee player. He has scored centuries at No.3 and 4 for India. Yet, he is being reduced to such a role. It’s gross injustice,” said Srikkanth.He further praised Rahul’s ability to handle difficult conditions, saying, “He’s the only one who looked comfortable in the second ODI. Once the conditions are difficult, only two players step up – Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. If Rahul got out early in the last match, India were finished. How can you justify Axar batting ahead of him?”
Gavaskar backs the decision to send Axar ahead
However, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had a different opinion. He supported the idea of sending a left-handed batter ahead of right-handers to disturb the opposition bowlers’ rhythm.“The bowlers have slight difficulty if a left-handed batter comes because you have to change the line and length you would have for a right-hander. In trying to do that, your line can change slightly even to the right-hander, where more chances of getting runs are created,” Gavaskar explained.He added that such decisions do not always work, but that does not make them wrong.“There was nothing wrong with that thought process. If Axar had scored runs, you would have said how good the captaincy was. Such moves work at times and don’t work on other occasions, and it didn’t work this time. You also knew there was a solid player like Rahul after him. That’s why you experiment at times,” Gavaskar observed.
