Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth slammed head coach Gautam Gambhir for his handling of KL Rahul in the ongoing ODI series against England. Despite Rahul being one of India’s most dependable batters at number 5, the team management pushed him down to number 6, promoting Axar Patel over him at number 5 in the first two ODIs. Srikkanth called this move unfair, highlighting that Rahul had an excellent record in the 2023 ODI World Cup but has been struggling since his demotion, scoring just 2 and 10 in the series.
“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,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel.
Srikkanth also took direct aim at Gambhir for prioritizing a left-right combination in the middle order while ignoring it in the top four. “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 consistent strategy. If you keep making such changes, you know what will happen—there will be a crucial match where everything falls apart. You can’t justify it by 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.
He suggested that if Gambhir insists on playing Axar at number 5, then Rishabh Pant should be brought in at number 6 instead of pushing Rahul further down the order. “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?”
Predicting the consequences, Srikkanth said that Rahul might end up being benched for the third ODI and even 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. You should play your best player at No. 5, regardless of whether he is left-handed or right-handed,” he added.
With mounting criticism, all eyes are now on Gambhir’s strategy in the remaining matches.
