Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has opined that Team India persists with KL Rahul because of the flexibility he gives and his consistency across formats as well. However, Rahul has been away from action since undergoing surgery on a thigh injury sustained in IPL 2023 as well. Notably, he has been picked in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming World Cup despite not proving his fitness and form on the international stage so far as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “It has been a topic of intense debate that why KL Rahul all the time – why does the Indian team remain so interested? Although he is an opener, he is among the very few versatile cricketers who can bat in other positions and are equally adept. You can take it with a pinch of salt, if you may, you will not ask Rohit Sharma to play at No. 5. You have less expectation of Virat Kohli performing very well at No. 5. Although both of them have done it in the past, now the best of them is at the top.”
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However, KL Rahul has scored 1986 runs which came at an average of 45.13 and a strike rate of 86.57 in 52 ODI innings. He has an even better record at No. 5, having scored 742 runs at an average of 53.00 and a strike rate of 99.33 in his 18 games as well. Meanwhile he also added that India are not fully confident of batting Ishan Kishan at No. 5.
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“You won’t ask Shubman Gill to play at No. 5. In fact, you are slightly 50-50 in playing Ishan Kishan as well at No. 5 because he won’t get to bat in the first 10 overs every time and what will happen if spin comes straightaway at the start. What happens if the pitch is slightly slow? So those questions are still on your mind,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “If you see from the Indian team’s perspective, there are five players who have hit centuries in all three formats, which includes Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and KL Rahul. So KL Rahul is a player who has done well in all formats.”
