KL Rahul happy to bat at number 5 for India in ODIs  

KL Rahul in action [Source: Twitter]

Indian keeper-batter KL Rahul opines that batting in the middle-order at the number 5 position has helped him understand his game better.

The Men in Blue defeated Sri Lanka in the second ODI at Eden Gardens to take an unassailable lead in the series.

Chasing a modest total of 216 runs, India lost their top order inside the first ten overs. After that, the game was evenly poised and could've gone either way. 

But India's middle order batters- KL Rahul (64), Hardik Pandya (36), and Shreyas Iyer (28) ensured that the hosts chased down the total inside 44 overs. 

Rahul top-scored for his team with a composed knock. Coming in to bat at No. 5 in the 10th over, Rahul assessed the conditions well, and despite running out of partners, he remained there till the end to guide his team to a 4-wicket victory with 40 balls to spare.

Here's what Rahul stated

"Batting at No. 5 has just helped me understand my game a little bit better. Given the ball is slightly older, you have to play spin straightaway and that's not what I am used to usually."

Primarily a top-order batter in Tests, T20Is and the IPL, Rahul's numbers in the middle order in ODIs are outstanding. 

In 13 ODI innings as a middle-order wicket-keeper batter, Rahul's 637 runs have come at an average of 63.70 and a strike rate of 104.08, including a century and six half-centuries. 

If he continues to play in this fashion, he'll be the frontrunner for the specialist wicket-keeper batter's spot in India's playing XI for the World Cup.

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