India have already secured the ODI sequence in opposition to Afghanistan with victories within the opening two matches, giving the group administration a chance to check totally different combos forward of upcoming worldwide assignments. With a number of senior gamers unavailable for the sequence, the Males in Blue have experimented with their batting order and handed alternatives to a number of gamers throughout the primary two video games.
Whereas a few of these modifications have delivered encouraging outcomes, one explicit tactical transfer has attracted consideration from a former India captain. He has weighed in on India’s dealing with of KL Rahul, providing his perspective on how the skilled batter needs to be utilised within the ODI setup.
Former India captain the place KL Rahul ought to bat for India
Talking on his YouTube channel, Kris Srikkanth questioned India’s determination to make use of Rahul decrease down the order throughout the Afghanistan sequence. The wicketkeeper-batter performed an impactful unbeaten knock of 39 off simply 19 deliveries within the first ODI after batting at No. 5, however was pushed right down to No. 6 within the second match, the place he was dismissed for a duck. The previous India captain believes Rahul’s high quality and expertise make him extra worthwhile greater up the batting order relatively than as a delegated finisher.
“It isn’t good for KL Rahul and the group if he’s batting at six. For my part, he should bat at 4 or 5 max. I believe they’ll go by rotation coverage. Relaxation the certainties in some video games, give possibilities, after which choose the aspect,” Srikkanth mentioned.
The previous chief selector burdened that frequent modifications in batting place can have an effect on a participant’s rhythm and confidence. With the 2027 ODI World Cup cycle already underway, he feels India ought to start figuring out secure roles for key gamers relatively than continuously shifting them across the order. Srikkanth additionally supported the concept of rotating established gamers to check bench energy as an alternative of altering the batting tasks of core members of the squad.
Additionally READ: Mohit Sharma predicts India’s playing XI for ODI World Cup 2027; Kuldeep Yadav misses out
Considerations raised over gamers’ workload after busy season
Aside from discussing Rahul’s batting place, Srikkanth additionally voiced issues over India’s hectic schedule. The previous opener questioned the timing of the Afghanistan sequence, which is being performed shortly after the conclusion of IPL 2026 and the T20 World Cup. He argued that gamers needs to be given ample time to recuperate bodily and mentally earlier than shifting on to their subsequent worldwide task.
“Afghanistan will not be a fantastic group actually. It’s unhappy. Now they will play in Chennai the place it is going to be highly regarded. I don’t understand how they may play there. It isn’t truthful. I don’t suppose they need to be enjoying in June. The T20 World Cup and IPL simply received over. Give them a break and the Girls’s T20 World Cup is occurring, why don’t we give attention to that? There needs to be a one month break after the IPL to be trustworthy. There is no such thing as a household time, no vacation, and most significantly no psychological break,” he acknowledged.
India will now tackle Afghanistan within the third and closing ODI in Chennai on June 20. Having already sealed the sequence, the hosts may as soon as once more experiment with their enjoying XI as they purpose to finish a clear sweep.
Additionally READ: Kris Srikkanth explains Why Ravindra Jadeja should play the ODI World Cup 2027
