Controversy Surrounding Gautam Gambhir's Criticism of KL Rahul's Performance in ODIs vs ENG: Concerns Raised Over Impact on Player's Confidence

In the ODI series last year, Rahul was moved lower in the batting order to accommodate Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube ahead of him, creating a balanced left-right batting combination in the middle order.

Srikkanth, who is very vocal about his views and opinions, feels that Rahul's situation is not fair as he has excelled at the number 5 position.

"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. I don’t know what the team management is thinking regarding his position. If he bats at No. 6 or 7, he ends up scoring 6 or 7. It’s unfair," Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel.

Axar, who got promoted to number 5 in the last two ODIs, played impressive knocks and scored crucial - 52 and 41 to justify the promotion. However, the demotion didn't work out for Rahul, as he registered low scores of 2 and 10.

Srikkanth blasted Gambhir's decision to push Rahul down the order at number 6 to accommodate left-right combination which might backfire for them in a crucial match.

"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. That’s what worries me. You can’t justify it by talking about the left-right combination. Does that mean you don’t care about a left-right combination in the top four? Why does it only matter at No. 5?" he added.

Srikkant suggested that if Gambhir want to stick with Axar at number 5 then he should go for Rishabh Pant at number 6 and not undermine Rahul's confidence.

"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 added.

“KL Rahul might end up warming the bench in Champions Trophy”

Assessing the current situation, the former India captain suggested that Rahul might end up warming bench in the third ODI and the upcoming Champions Trophy.

"Now, what you’ve done is you’ve sidelined Rishabh Pant as well. One of them has to play. I have a feeling Pant will feature in the third ODI and then in the Champions Trophy too. Rahul might end up warming the bench again.

"You should play your best player at No. 5, regardless of whether he is left-handed or right-handed," he added.

ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025 and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news. .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }