Former India captain and ex-chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has criticised head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Indian team management over KL Rahul's batting position following India's 27-run defeat to England in the third ODI at Lord's on Sunday.
India ended the tour on a disappointing note, losing the three-match series 2-1 despite scoring 360 while chasing England's imposing total of 387. Rohit Sharma led the charge with a superb 138, while captain Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli contributed half-centuries. However, the middle order failed to build on the platform, once again raising questions over Rahul's role in the batting line-up. England secured the series after Ben Duckett's 141 and Jacob Bethell's 91 helped the hosts post a record ODI total at Lord's.
Rahul came to the crease only at the end of the 44th over, with India requiring 84 runs from 36 deliveries. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 12 off eight balls before India's chase fell short.
Srikkanth questioned the decision to bat Rahul at No. 6, arguing that one of India's most reliable ODI batters should have been sent in much earlier during such a challenging chase.
"Will anyone send KL Rahul at No. 6 when chasing such a huge total? That guy has won you so much in tough run-chases. Is Rahul a No. 6 or 7 batter?" Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
The 1983 World Cup winner also compared Rahul's treatment with that of Sanju Samson and young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
"Just like you screwed up Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, now you are screwing up KL Rahul. This is gross injustice. His body language also looked like someone nervous yesterday," he added.
RAHUL'S ROLE UNDER GAMBHIR UNDER SCRUTINY
Srikkanth maintained that Rahul should have batted higher in the order, pointing to his impressive performances during India's campaign at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Batting mainly at No. 5 in that tournament, Rahul scored 452 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.33, including one century and two half-centuries, finishing as India's fourth-highest run-scorer.
"India needed someone to do the Jos Buttler role. But if Rahul had gone in at No. 4, he would have complemented Virat Kohli like they did a few times in the 2023 World Cup," Srikkanth said.
"Instead, they sent him out to bat when the match was over. How was he possibly going to win the game needing 15 per over with Axar Patel?"
Since Gautam Gambhir took charge as head coach, Rahul has mostly batted at No. 6, with Axar Patel often promoted ahead of him. The strategy proved successful during India's Champions Trophy-winning campaign earlier this year, where Rahul played several crucial finishing knocks under pressure.
However, following India's ODI series defeat in England, the team management's handling of Rahul's batting position has once again come under scrutiny.
