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Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth has been vocal around what has been going around in the Indian cricket team off late. While he had earlier hit out at the head coach Gautam Gambhir after India’s 1-3 defeat in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, he has now slammed the Gambhir-led coaching staff for “unfairly” treating wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth opined that it is unfortunate to see how KL Rahul is not able to bat at a fixed position and has been pushed down the order. It is to be noted that KL Rahul has been preferred over Rishabh Pant to keep the wickets in the ODI series against England, but hasn’t offered an ideal position to come out to bat at.
I feel for KL Rahul, it’s very unfortunate: Kris Srikkanth
The former India cricketer opined that the situation hasn’t been fair for KL Rahul as he has excelled at number five batting position. Taking direct jab at Gambhir, Srikkanth said, "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.”
"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," Srikkanth added. "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? Is it fair to a player who has performed brilliantly in world cricket," he further questioned.
It is to be noted that in the ODI series in 2024 against Sri Lanka, KL Rahul was pushed down the order as Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube were sent over him to get the left-right combination. In the two ODIs played so far this year, Axar Patel was promoted at number five, where he played brilliant innings, scoring 52 and 41 runs respectively.
