Former Indian cricketer turned commentator Dinesh Karthik said that the in-form top-order batters cannot be blamed for KL Rahul’s lack of game time in the ODI series against West Indies as well. He has yet to face a single delivery in the entire series as India secured comprehensive back-to-back eight-wicket wins to claim a 2-0 lead. The trio of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli have played the most of the deliveries in the series so far, with No.4 batter Ruturaj Gaikwad getting some game time.

“They would ideally love to have some game time, but our batting is so good, and on pitches that are so good, they are not going to give it away easily. They are making the most of it, as they should. It is not their fault that the pitch is good or the bowling standard is not up to what could trouble them. KL Rahul would know that, he has done it before at the top of the order. So hopefully, he gets a chance to bat in the next game,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

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However, Shubman Gill hinted that players who have not had game time in the series so far might play a role in the series finale as well. Apart from KL Rahul, players like Mohammed Siraj, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal have also not had a part to play so far.

“I definitely want to give the players who haven’t had a chance, give them a chance, and hopefully we’ll see what combination suits us and they’ll get some chance,” India captain Shubman Gill said during the post-match presentation in Guwahati.