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"Absolute rubbish": Kris Srikkanth slams Gill, Gambhir for 'absurd' KL Rahul move

Soumyajit Dutta

KL Rahul and Kris Srikkanth [Source: @ouioutright/X.com]KL Rahul and Kris Srikkanth [Source: @ouioutright/X.com]

India lost the first ODI against Australia at Perth on October 19 in a rain-affected game that was also marked by a severe batting collapse from the Shubman Gill-led side. 

While the collapse raised major concerns for the remaining ODIs, former cricketer and ex-BCCI chief selector Krishnamachari Srikanth criticised both the team management and captain Shubman Gill for sending KL Rahul unusually low in the order, even below Axar Patel.

Kris points out the KL Rahul stance

KL Rahul came in at number six after Shreyas Iyer was dismissed in the 14th over. While the management’s decision to send a star batter so deep into the lineup was bold, it is hard to ignore that Axar Patel was promoted more as a buffer to protect the rest of the batting lineup. Nevertheless, Srikanth did not hold back, calling the move for KL Rahul “absurd.”

"I told before only that KL Rahul should play ahead of Shreyas Iyer. It was an absurd decision by the team and management. You are leaving him and looking somewhere else. If he scores he scores a lot. Axar Patel going higher than KL is absolute rubbish," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

Srikanth further stated that if he were captain instead of Gill, he would have promoted KL Rahul over Shreyas Iyer at number four to maximise Rahul’s impact with the bat. 

“The point is not whether Axar played well or not. You have one of the best and classy player in your XI. KL should have come at five. If I was the captain I would even have sent him at four in fact. The conditions in the subcontinent are different than in Australia. He should be playing the maximum number of balls,” Srikkanth added.

Srikkanth slams India's batting collapse

He also criticised the overall collapse, which contributed to India’s seven-wicket defeat, and questioned the decision to promote Nitish Kumar Reddy despite his big-hitting potential.

"By any chance had they gone up to 160 and did not lose more wickets, the DLS score would be more and probably things could have favored India. If we talk neutrally rain actually saved them. Another mistake they made was by not sending Nitish after KL and Axar got out. You took him as a big hitter in the team then put him in front. Do not go behind the left-right combination," Kris added.

With the second ODI on October 23 at Adelaide, now India’s last chance to salvage pride in the series, Shubman Gill and company will be eager to bounce back. KL Rahul may finally find a higher spot in the batting order.