Former Indian batter Kris Srikkanth questioned India’s team management for the batting order in the first ODI against South Africa at the JSCA International Sports Complex, Ranchi on Sunday. While Ruturaj Gaikwad batted at number four, Washington Sundar got an opportunity to bat at number five after Aiden Markram decided to bowl first.
Both the batters could not grab their opportunities as Gaikwad was dismissed after scoring only eight runs whereas Sundar managed only 13 runs. Meanwhile, India’s stand-in captain KL Rahul batted at number six and scored a fine knock of 60 runs off 56 balls to add the finishing touches.
Srikkanth said it would have been better if Rahul had batted higher in the batting order whereas Sundar could have come as a finisher.
He said on his YouTube Channel, “I don’t know about Washington Sundar going ahead of him. If KL Rahul had batted higher in the order, it would have been better for India. He should never go below 5. Yes, it was a successful move in the Champions Trophy. But I don’t think you should make it a habit. He should be batting at No. 4 or 5. Washington Sundar can go as a finisher rather than coming in at No. 5.”
The 1983 World Cup-winning player showered praise on Rahul for his crucial knock at number six.
“Classy Rolls Royce Rahul, India can’t do without him. He scored his 60 with effortless ease. Once he struck that six off Burger, he was unstoppable. But I don’t understand why KL Rahul comes into bat at No. 6. He should be batting at No. 4 or 5, not beyond that. I don’t understand this logic at all.”
On the other hand, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja added 65 runs off just 36 balls with the latter scoring 32 runs off 20 balls. Srikkanth noted that the left and right-hand batting combination was able to deliver for the team.
“His (Jadeja) knock of 29 from 17 balls went unnoticed. He also actually played at a different level. The final KL Rahul-Jadeja partnership was outstanding but went unnoticed. That was a key and both clobbered the bowling given their strike rates in the partnership. Nobody saw that effect because everything was overshadowed by Virat Kohli’s knock. They did the job silently without making noise about it,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
The second ODI between India and South Africa will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur on Wednesday.
