Former India captain Kris Srikkanth criticized head coach Gautam Gambhir after the national cricket team’s 2-1 ODI series loss to England. Srikkanth questioned the decision to send middle-order batsman KL Rahul at number six during the chase of 388 runs at Lord’s in London on Sunday, July 19.
The Men in Blue failed to chase down England’s high score despite brilliant innings from Rohit Sharma (138 runs off 110 balls), Shubman Gill (77 runs off 84 balls) and Virat Kohli (74 runs off 60 balls). India managed to score 360/7 in 50 overs and lost by 27 runs. The Indian batsmen had to struggle against Sam Curran’s variations during the chase.
“Will anyone send KL Rahul at No. 6” – Kris Srikkanth on not using KL Rahul properly
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kris Srikkanth criticized the team management’s batting strategy during the run chase. The 1983 World Cup winner said that KL Rahul came to bat only in the 45th over when the required run rate was more than 15.
“Would one send KL Rahul at No. 6 when chasing such a big score? The guy has given you a lot of wins in tough run-chases. Is Rahul a No. 6 or 7 batsman?” Kris Srikkanth said.
Srikanth also accused Gautam Gambhir of hurting the confidence of the players by constantly changing batting positions. He said that the treatment of Rahul was similar to the way the team management treated young players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Sanju Samson.
“Just like you spoiled Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, now you are spoiling KL Rahul. This is gross injustice. His body language also looked nervous yesterday.”
“If KL Rahul had gone at No. 4” – Kris Srikkanth takes a dig at Gautam Gambhir
Kris Srikkanth said that KL Rahul has performed well in the middle order whenever he has been given enough time to build innings with the top-order batsmen. He said that Rahul should have batted at No. 4 instead of coming in late as a finisher.
“India needed someone to play Jos Buttler’s role. That’s where Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were out immediately. But if Rahul had gone at No. 4, he would have complimented Virat Kohli, as he did a few times in the 2023 World Cup.”
“Instead, he sent him in to bat at the end of the match. How could he win the game with Axar Patel needing 15 runs per over?”
KL Rahul’s demotion sparks debate on India’s batting order
KL Rahul had success in the middle order during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Batting at number 5, he scored 452 runs in 10 innings at an excellent average of 75.33. He also played a key role in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy title-winning campaign.
However, ever since Gautam Gambhir became the head coach, India have often promoted Axar Patel over Rahul, pushing the wicketkeeper-batsman down the order. The move worked during the Champions Trophy, but it has come under scrutiny.
Rahul arrived at Lord’s in only the 45th over with a required run rate above 15 runs per over. Before being bowled, he scored 12 runs in eight balls. Former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh also criticized India’s batting order.
