Last Updated:October 21, 2025, 09:38 IST
Both Axar Patel and KL Rahul made significant contributions in the first ODI but India are being criticised for playing the latter at no. 6 in batting order.
Axar Patel (left) and KL Rahul (AP Photo)
The criticism of Indian team management following a listless show in the first ODI against Australia continues with KL Rahul’s batting position triggering a lively debate. For some time now, the Indian team has been deploying Rahul at No. 6 with all-rounder Axar Patel batting at No. 5, a spot where the former has been quite successful. However, given he ended up as the team’s top-scorer in the series opener in Perth, World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth has questioned the logic behind him not batting at No. 4 or No. 5.
Under an overcast sky, India lost both their openers, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma, and No. 3 Virat Kohli cheaply. The Indian innings was constantly interrupted by rain and eventually the contest was reduced to 26-overs-per-side. Rahul top-scored with 38 off 31 while Axar made 31 as the tourists posted 136/9.
“I said this yesterday (before the 1st ODI) – play KL at No. 4 and Shreyas at No. 5,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. “I found the team composition appalling. And first and foremost, why would you send Axar Patel ahead of Rahul?”
“Classy ‘Rolls Royce’ Rahul was the one who scored today too. He scores and averages well at No. 4 and No. 5. In the 2019 World Cup, he opened the innings, played No. 4 and No. 5 as required. He has made centuries too. Axar Patel being promoted ahead of Rahul is just appalling. It is absolute rubbish,” he added.
When Srikkanth’s son Anirudh reminded that Axar too played a decent hand, the 1983 World Cup winner responded, “That’s not the point. You have one of the best in the world in that position at your disposal. Axar is a fantastic player in his own right.”
“See, you are aware of the fact that this isn’t the strongest Australian side. They had Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, but beyond that they did not have a fearsome bowling. Kuhnemann did a brilliant job, but on paper, beyond Starc and Hazlewood, they have no one. (So) KL should have come at No. 5,” he added.
Srikkanth said if it were up to him, KL would bat at No. 4.
“If I were in charge, I would have played him at No. 4. No. 6 is unacceptable. You could give me any explanation. Rahul is a world-class player and he should be playing the maximum number of balls. Axar did well, but Rahul made up the strike after one point. I’m not blaming Axar, just saying Rahul should have come at No. 5,” he said.
“At the end, when we realised that we wouldn’t be able to play the complete overs, he (Rahul) went for scoring runs out of desperation all of a sudden. The overs were being reduced due to the rain, and it was knocked down to 26 overs all of a sudden,” he added.
While the regular interruption meant the Indian innings failed to gather any momentum, Srikkanth felt the match was done and dusted in the first 10 overs itself when India were reduced to 27/3.
“You could point to the rain as a reason, but in my opinion, the match was done in the first 10 overs. Even if you had played a complete 50-over game, it would have taken a lot of time to build partnerships. Frankly, had India put up 150-160, things would’ve become difficult for Australia,” Srikkanth said.
“The partnership between Axar and KL got them to a decent position. Had we scored 150-160 in 26 overs, DLS method would have added runs to them. But since we lost 9 wickets in 26 overs, DLS took away 5 runs from them,” he noted.
Feroz Khan
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
First Published:
October 21, 2025, 09:38 IST
News cricket Team India Branded ‘Absolute Rubbish’ For Promoting Axar Patel: ‘KL Rahul Should…’Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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