With electrifying victories in the first two games, India have already sealed the series victory in the ongoing three-match ODI series against England. Rohit Sharma propelled the side to a four-wicket victory in the second game, hammering his 32nd ODI hundred.
Despite India shining bright, former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth has blasted Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir for constantly shuffling the team’s batting order. Srikkanth criticised Gambhir for changing KL Rahul’s batting order despite his terrific record at no.5.
Allrounder Axar Patel was promoted to no.5 in the first two games and he made most of the opportunity, scoring (52) and (41) respectively. KL Rahul, on the other hand, failed to get going, scoring only (2) and (10) respectively.
"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. If he bats at No. 6 or 7, he ends up scoring 6 or 7. It's unfair," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Srikkanth took a dig at Gambhir saying his decision to send Axar Patel ahead of KL Rahul is not right.
"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. That's what worries me," he said.
"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? 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?,” he said.