The Indian team’s performance in the first ODI against Australia has drawn sharp criticism, especially regarding KL Rahul’s batting position. The wicketkeeper-batter has been batting at No. 6 lately, with all-rounder Axar Patel promoted to No. 5. However, after Rahul emerged as India’s top scorer in the rain-hit game in Perth, former World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth questioned this strategy.

Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, “I said this yesterday (before the 1st ODI) – play KL at No. 4 and Shreyas at No. 5. I found the team composition appalling. And first and foremost, why would you send Axar Patel ahead of Rahul?"

India Struggle Under Clouds and Rain

Under cloudy skies, India lost openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma early, followed by Virat Kohli. Frequent rain interruptions reduced the match to 26 overs per side. Despite the tough conditions, Rahul top-scored with 38 off 31 balls, while Axar contributed 31 runs. India ended at 136 for 9.

Srikkanth said, “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."

Debate Over Axar’s Promotion

When Srikkanth’s son Anirudh pointed out that Axar played a decent knock, Srikkanth replied, “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."

He also questioned the need to experiment against a relatively weaker Australian bowling attack. “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," Srikkanth added.

Rahul Deserves Higher Position

The former opener was clear that if it were up to him, Rahul would not bat below 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.

Srikkanth explained that Rahul’s attempt to accelerate came only after realizing the overs were being reduced. “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.

Early Collapse Cost India the Game

Srikkanth felt India lost the match in the opening 10 overs when they were reduced to 27 for 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," he said.

He also noted that India’s partnership between Axar and Rahul gave the team some stability. “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," Srikkanth concluded.