Rahul has made 49 runs in two AUS vs IND matches so far, while Axar has added 75 runs.
In the two ODIs that India lost in Perth and Adelaide, one of the causes of concern was a poor batting effort. With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as regular openers in the 50-over set-up, another opening batter, KL Rahul, is pushed down the order. Usually, a well-suited position would be No.5. But under the reins of Gautam Gambhir, Rahul is pushed down another spot to accommodate Axar Patel.
The all-rounder made 31 off 38 in the first match, stitching a vital partnership with a gloveman who contributed with a 31-ball 38. In the second match, they made 44 and 11 runs, respectively.
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Before Gautam Gambhir took over as a coach in 2024, KL Rahul was experimented with at each position from No.1 to No.6, but the one that worked the most in his favour was No.5. Having played 31 out of 81 innings and made 1,299 runs out of 3,092, you’d call it Rahul’s sweet spot.
When we do the math, it’s horrible. And when we dissect the probable reasons, it couldn’t get any worse. But let’s look at the statistics of Axar Patel before we make any claims.
Axar’s range of experiments has spanned positions from No.4 to No.9. Despite playing most of the innings (19) at No.7, he has made the most runs at No.5 (358 runs in 11 outings to be exact). He also has his highest average of close to 36 at No.5, his sweet spot. Struck a fifty, struck 31 fours, never a duck, so, one would say, what’s the harm?
Well, Axar Patel is undoubtedly a talented all-rounder to have in the playing XI. But to send him to bat at No.5 at the cost of a wicketkeeper-batter with an average of 56 is foolish. KL Rahul has struck two hundreds and nine fifties from the fifth position. And he is three boundaries away from completing 100 boundaries as a No.5 batter. Let that sink in.
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There are a couple of reasons to side with the head coach. In both the AUS vs IND ODIs so far, India have been in a critical position after two down. In both instances, India needed a batter to anchor the innings.
In Perth, Axar Patel was out to bat within 10 overs. In Adelaide, the 31-year-old came out around the 30th over. Spin bowling was about to take over in both matches. Axar, reckoned to be a better player of spin, was sent to bat. It was also an attempt to reserve KL Rahul for the death overs, ruled by the pacers. That’s one reason.
Another reason why Axar was promoted was to introduce a left-right combination. India’s top four batters – Rohit, Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer are righties. So is Rahul. By bringing in Axar, the logic was to disrupt the rhythm of the bowlers.
However, none of the reasons makes sense. In fact, no reason of the coach could be justified to demote Rahul. He’s India’s best bet in a crisis. Not just the same first name, KLR is the embodiment of Rahul Dravid, The Wall.
If Gambhir continues his worthless tactics for the AUS vs IND 3rd ODI in Sydney, one can easily predict a perfect recipe for another loss, and eventually a whitewash on Australian soil.
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