‘What you’re doing is not right…’: Former Indian star slams Gautam Gambhir for misbehaving with KL Rahul

India’s 1983 World Cup-winning member Krishnamachari Srikkanth has openly called out and criticised head coach Gautam Gambhir for his strategy regarding the batting position of KL Rahul in the ongoing ODI series against England.

Kris Srikkanth did not approve with the decision of Indian team management to change KL Rahul’s batting position. Srikkanth spoke about Rahul’s impressive record at No. 5, arguing that using the left-right batting combination as an excuse to alter his batting position is not justified.

Srikkanth’s criticism has come after Axar Patel was given the 5th position in the first two ODIs of the ongoing three-match series. This change in the batting order was made in order to maintain a left-right batting combination for the middle overs.

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“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.

“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,” he added.

“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? 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?,” former India’s star opener further stated.

KL Rahul brags an incredible batting average of 57.22 when batting at No. 5, having secured 1259 runs in 30 matches. On the other hand, his record at No6 is completely contrary to his impressive numbers, as he has scored just 54 runs in 4 matches.