Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth slammed the team management for not using veteran batter KL Rahul well, as he came to bat at No. 6 in the batting order in the third and final ODI against England at Lord’s on July 19. With Team India chasing a huge 388 runs for victory, he did not come out to bat until the fall of the fourth wicket in the 45th over as well.
Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka, “Will anyone send KL Rahul at No.6 when chasing such a huge total? That guy has won you so much in tough run-chases. Just like you screwed up Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, now you are screwing up KL Rahul. Is Rahul a a No.6 or 7 batter? This is gross injustice. His body language also looked like someone nervous yesterday.”
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He shared, “India needed someone to do the Jos Buttler role. That’s where Kishan and Shreyas Iyer got out rightaway. But if Rahul had gone in at No.4, he would have complimented Virat Kohli like they did a few times in the 2023 World Cup. Rahul is capable of accelerating easily. Instead, they sent him out to bat when the match was over. How was he possibly going to win the game needing 15 per over with Axar Patel?”
However, Kris Srikkanth praised veteran opener Rohit Sharma for silencing his critics with a stunning century in the third ODI against England as well. Rohit finished with 138 off 110 deliveries, including 17 boundaries and five sixes as well.
“He shut everybody up, including all of us. Just through yesterday, he has made himself the first name on the team sheet for the 2027 World Cup. It should be Gill, Rohit and Kohli fixed as the first three for the World Cup. Rohit played some unbelievable shots and even a few new shots that were indescribable. Once he smashed one pull six, it was always going to be his day. He took a special liking to Tongue. The way he took off after his first 50 showed why he is a white-ball king. The way he dominated, England were shivering in fear,” he concluded.
