Table of Contents
Former India captain Kris Srikkanth could not buy the idea of sending KL Rahul to bat at No.7 before dropping him from the playing combination in the following match. Srikkanth slammed the Indian team management for not utilising KL Rahul well enough according to his credentials.
For the opening match of the ongoing 3-match ODI series against England, the Indian team management sent KL Rahul to bat at the number seven position in Birmingham. In the next match in Cardiff, where India suffered a 4-wicket defeat, Rahul was not a part of the playing eleven.
Kris Srikkanth slams the Indian team management for shuffling batting line-ups
Kris Srikkanth went furious over the team management when he went to explain India’s ongoing struggles in England. The Gautam Gambhir-coached India National Cricket Team, which is known for doing experiments, did the same in the previous two ODIs. Sending KL Rahul at No.7 was one of the part of the experiments.
In the following match, which was held in Cardiff, the Men in Blue management surprisingly snubbed the 34-year-old keeper-batter from the playing XI to accommodate Ishan Kishan in the team as the keeper-batter. In another surprising move, Ishan was sent to bat at No. 4, ahead of Shreyas Iyer, who is an established number four batsman. That move did not work as Ishan Kishan was dismissed for only 1 run.
Why is KL Rahul not at No.4? Kris Srikkanth questions
Srikkanth questioned the Indian team management why they sent KL Rahul to bat at Number seven in the first match despite his proven batting stats at No. 5 and No. 6 on previous occasions. The case to send Rahul lower in the batting order became more complicated when, in the next game, Ishan Kishan went to bat as the number four batter, ahead of Shreyas Iyer.
“When Kishan can bat at No. 4, why not Rahul? This management is just finishing Rahul. They seem to only want to destroy good players. It's rubbish that they send KL Rahul at 6 and 7. If Rahul is fit, he should be batting at No.4,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka.
Why is Ravindra Jadeja not with Team India?
Ravindra Jadeja’s absence from the scene also made the former batter worried about the Indian cricket team’s planning.
Slamming the management, Kris Srikkanth mentioned that instead of playing Ravindra Jadeja, who is a seasoned spin-bowling all-rounder, the team trusts all-rounders like Suryanash Shedge and Shivam Dube, who also underperformed despite receiving multiple opportunities to prove their talents.
After a dismal ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year, Ravindra Jadeja has been sidelined from the team across the formats. Featuring in all three matches against New Zealand, Jadeja went wicketless with an average economy rate around six.
“He (Jadeja) has been sent to the shed. I don't understand why Jadeja isn't being considered when they play guys like Shedge. They are developing Shivam Dube of all people as an all-rounder,” Srikkanth added.
