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'I Won't Lie...': KL Rahul Breaks Silence On His Ideal Batting Position For India

Kaushik Kashyap

KL Rahul shed light on his preferred batting position. [Source - AP Photos]KL Rahul shed light on his preferred batting position. [Source - AP Photos]

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Indian middle order batter KL Rahul’s batting position in One Day Internationals (ODI) has been a hot topic lately. With India having a packed top order, comprising captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, Rahul has batted down the order at number five or below for some years now.

In fact, Rahul alongside Shreyas Iyer has been India's go to pair in the middle order in the 50-over format, solving India's long-standing headache after the 2019 World Cup. For years the team heavily relied on the top three, the inclusion of Rahul and Iyer has brought much needed solidity, with Rahul doing glovework and adapting well in whatever role he has been offered.

And it was no different on Tuesday, when Rahul rose to the occasion once again, batting at six, this time against the mighty Aussies as he took India home with an unbeaten 42 in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy in Dubai.

Adapting To The Team's Need

While Rahul is doing a fabulous job in the lower middle order for the Men In Blue, many cricket pundits think that it's a waste of talent by batting someone like him that lower in the order.

On being asked about the chaos around his batting position in ODIs recently after the semi-final game against Australia, Rahul openly admitted that he does prefer to bat at the top, especially as opener where he has been most successful in limited-overs cricket.

"Yeah, I do [enjoy batting at the top], I mean I won't lie. It's after opening the batting in Australia in Test matches and then to come here and bat low seems a bit different, but this is how I've played white-ball cricket in the last four or five years," Rahul said.

After watching Rahul bat at the top of the order during the initial phase of his career, there is no doubt that his natural game thrives when he gets time to settle in against the new ball and play freely in the later part of the innings.

Having said that, Rahul has done a phenomenal job, adapting to what the team wants, batting down at five or six, alongside keeping wickets, which has nothing but allowed India to try better combinations in the 50-over format. His ODI numbers since 2020 speaks for himself as the dynamic batter has scored at an average of 60.8 while batting in the middle-order (at 4,5 and 6).

Additionally, Rahul has shown great temperament and composure in tough situations, bailing the team out more often than not. His ability to anchor and finish alongside Hardik Pandya towards the end has added enough value for him to continue batting lower down the order for India.