The UK tour ended on a disastrous note for India as the visitors lost the ODI series against England after suffering defeats in the T20I series against the same opponent and Ireland. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and the rest of the management received a lot of flak for several of their decisions, and the loss in the three-match series has put further scrutiny on the former India opening batter. Former India captain and national selector Kris Srikkanth questioned the decision to push KL Rahul down to No. 6 in the ODI series, arguing that constant experimentation disrupted the batting unit at a crucial stage.
He pointed out that Rahul, one of India's more experienced middle-order batters, arrived only after Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, despite the high-pressure chase in the series decider, where India were set a daunting target of 388.
India's batting strategy came under intense scrutiny after their 27-run defeat to England in the deciding ODI at Lord's, with head coach Gambhir and the team management facing criticism over repeated changes to the batting order.
Srikkanth also drew parallels with India's recent T20I tour of Ireland and England, where the management rotated opening combinations involving Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi across seven matches. According to the former opener, the continued reshuffling reflects a lack of stability in the team's approach.
“Will anyone send KL Rahul at No.6 when chasing such a huge total? That guy has won you so much in tough run-chases. Just like you messed up Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, now you are messing up KL Rahul. Is Rahul a No.6 or 7 batter? This is a gross injustice. His body language also looked like someone nervous yesterday,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“Will anyone send KL Rahul at No.6 when chasing such a huge total? That guy has won you so much in tough run-chases. Just like you messed up Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, now you are messing up KL Rahul. Is Rahul a No.6 or 7 batter? This is a gross injustice. His body language also looked like someone nervous yesterday,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“India needed someone to do the Jos Buttler role. That’s where Kishan and Shreyas Iyer got out right away. But if Rahul had gone in at No.4, he would have complemented Virat Kohli like they did a few times in the 2023 World Cup. Rahul is capable of accelerating easily. Instead, they sent him out to bat when the match was over. How was he possibly going to win the game needing 15 per over with Axar Patel?" he added.
Rahul played just two ODIs in the three-match series against England as he missed out on the second game due to illness. In both the games he played, Rahul walked out to bat at No.6, returning with scores of 1 and 12.
What happened in the ODI decider?
In the decider, India's innings began on a positive note as skipper Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma laid a solid platform with a half-century and a century, respectively. Virat Kohli followed at No. 3, while Kishan was promoted to No. 4. The move failed to pay off, with Kishan managing just 14 before Iyer departed without scoring.
Rahul eventually walked in with the asking rate spiralling, leaving little time to settle. The right-hander made 12 off eight deliveries before Jofra Archer dismissed him, effectively ending India's hopes of pulling off an unlikely chase.
The defeat sealed a 27-run loss for India and handed Gambhir's side its third consecutive ODI series defeat away from home since he assumed charge of the team's 50-over setup in mid-2024.
The T20I series also saw India dropping Samson after three failures. However, the same was the case with Sooryavanshi after the 15-year-old failed to set the stage on fire in his opening three games for the Men in Blue. The scrutiny increased further after Samson was played for the fifth and final T20I but was dropped for the series against Zimbabwe.