Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed his concerns over KL Rahul after he failed with the bat in the first two ODI matches in England’s tour of India 2025.
He also wondered whether No.6 was the ideal position for the wk-batter. During the second ODI match, England scored 304 runs in the second ODI in Cuttack. KL Rahul scored 10 runs off 14 deliveries to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, the former opener wasn’t conceived about the hosts’ decision to bat Rahul at No.6.
“KL Rahul is batting at No. 6. Is KL Rahul the best option to bat at No. 6? That’s a big question because you send a left-hander ahead of him. When he gets to bat, he didn’t score runs in the last match and didn’t score runs in this match as well,” he said.
“He didn’t score runs in two innings in Sri Lanka. There he batted at No. 7 and then you dropped for the third match. Now you have played him here but runs haven’t been scored in the two matches here as well. So what do you do now?” Chopra added.
Aakash Chopra pointed out that Hardik Pandya will drop to No.7 if KL Rahul bats at No.6. While acknowledging that Hardik cannot potentially bat at No.5 Chopra added that t’s not a great game plan if he plays lower than No.6.
Chopra also reckoned that Axar Patel has virtually sealed the No.5 position in India’s batting order with his performances in the first two ODIs against England. He scored 52 runs in the first and 41* runs in the second match.
Axar Patel’s promotion shows they don’t feed a left-hander in the top four but need it at No. 5. I feel this written in stone.
“Axar Patel’s promotion shows they don’t need a left-hander in the top four but need it at No. 5. I feel this is written in stone.”
“It’s not going to change. Runs in the first and second matches, winning performances, Axar Patel is here to stay, which makes a lot of sense. Why would you move someone if he is playing well?” he said.
While observing that Shreyas Iyer at No.4, Aakash Chopra questioned how Rohit Sharma and company contemplated leaving him out for the first ODI against England.
“Shreyas Iyer was brilliant. He batted extremely well. He is also cementing his position. He is also highlighting what a ridiculous idea it was to think that you could have dropped Shreyas Iyer. That’s what you do. You have the bat in your hand and it talks,” Chopra elaborated.
Shreyas Iyer scored 44 runs off 47 deliveries in the second ODI and smashed a fifty in the series opener in Nagpur after being included in the Xl when Virat Kohli was ruled out due to a swelling in his knee.
India’s third ODI match against England will be played on February 12 at Narendra Modi Stadium.
