KL Rahul (AP Photo)
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.
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. He has scored centuries at No.3 and 4 for India.
It’s gross injustice,” said Srikkanth. If Axar had scored runs, you would have said how good the captaincy was. Former India selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth strongly criticised the team management’s decision. “Gautam Gambhir needs to understand Rahul is a marquee player. Yet, he is being reduced to such a role. 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? 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. “There was nothing wrong with that thought process. 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.