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KL Rahul batted at No. 6 in the Ranchi ODI, a position Srikkanth was too low for the stand-in captain. (CREIMAS)
India saw off a brief scare from South Africa to seal a 17-run win in the ODI series opener in Ranchi on Sunday. Despite putting 349 runs on the board, the hosts were made to stretch for the win with the evening dew assisting the South Africa batters even after they were rocked early by three wickets from pacers Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh.
For a brief passage during India’s batting where Virat Kohli headlined the day with his 52nd ODI ton, India slowed down considerably on a belter of a surface after all-rounder Washington Sundar walked in at No. 5, ahead of stand-in captain KL Rahul. Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth slammed the team management’s move to push Rahul down to No. 6, urging the Karnataka batter to not feature below No. 5 in the order.
“I don’t know about Washington Sundar going ahead of him. If KL Rahul had batted higher in the order, it would have been better for India. He should never go below 5. Yes, it was a successful move in the Champions Trophy. But I don’t think you should make it a habit. He should be batting at No. 4 or 5. Washington Sundar can go as a finisher rather than coming in at No. 5,” Srikkanth told on his YouTube channel.
Srikkanth waxed lyrical of Rahul’s batting efforts after the elegant right-hander chipped in with a crucial 60 off 56 deliveries, a knock laced with two fours and three sixes.
“Classy Rolls-Royce Rahul, India can’t do without him. He scored his 60 with effortless ease. Once he struck that six off Burger, he was unstoppable. But I don’t understand why KL Rahul comes into bat at No. 6. He should be batting at No. 4 or 5, not beyond that. I don’t understand this logic at all.”
Srikkanth also noted how the 65-run stand between Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja tilted the game in India’s favour.
“His (Jadeja) knock of 29 (32) from 17 (20) balls went unnoticed. He also actually played at a different level. The final KL Rahul-Jadeja partnership was outstanding but went unnoticed. That was a key and both clobbered the bowling given their strike rates in the partnership. Nobody saw that effect because everything was overshadowed by Virat Kohli’s knock. They did the job silently without making noise about it,” added Srikkanth.
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