India batter KL Rahul hit back at trolls for constantly questioning his position in the ODI team. KL Rahul‘s comments came after the batter took India over the line in the semi-final against Australia.
India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul played a measured knock of 42* off 34 balls against Australia on Tuesday, March 4. His knock helped India get over the line in a tricky chase at the Dubai International Stadium. Speaking after the match, KL Rahul shared his thoughts on his position in the Indian team, his insecurities, and the criticism he faces from trolls on social media.
KL Rahul’s musical chairs in his batting positions in ODI cricket for Team India
After becoming a full-time No. 5 in ODI cricket, KL Rahul had expanded his range as a middle-order batter – since 2020, nobody has a higher average than his 61.52 in that position (for a minimum of 20 innings). Not even Heinrich Klaasen, whose average is about seven points lower than KL Rahul’s.
The batter admitted that it was frustrating to constantly hear the chatter about his batting position, despite executing his role as a finisher perfectly. KL Rahul batted at No. 5 in the 2023 ODI World Cup and scored 452 runs. Aside from the final match of the tournament—where the entire Indian team underperformed—KL Rahul was one of the key reasons India posted massive totals in the competition.
But in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, India were keen to break up the sequence of right-handers and hence decided to promote Axar Patel to No. 5. As a result, KL Rahul dropped down to No. 6, but he’s adapted to that position, too, and has been “working on boundary-hitting a lot more”.
Before the Champions Trophy, there was a toss-up between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the keeper-batter’s spot, but Rahul, the incumbent, eventually got the nod. On Tuesday, KL Rahul went out to bat at the fall of Axar’s wicket, with India needing 86 in 15 overs with six wickets in hand on a tricky Dubai surface. When Virat Kohli holed out for 84, it appeared like Australia had an opening, but KL Rahul slammed the doors on them with an unbeaten 42 off 34 balls, including two fours and two sixes.
Though Dubai had rolled out a fresh pitch for the semi-final, it was still slow and conducive to spin. It was one of those pitches where it was difficult to rotate strike, so KL Rahul felt that it was worth taking a risk every over, especially when Kohli was in supreme control at the other end.
KL Rahul took Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis and Adam Zampa for a brace of fours and a six in quick succession before Kohli was caught at long-on. Hardik Pandya did his job but also holed out later, and KL Rahul got the job done with Ravindra Jadeja. In an impromptu interview, KL Rahul mentioned that he had never shied away from delivering whatever was asked of him.
KL Rahul’s demotion to No. 6 has been discussed threadbare but India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the wicketkeeper-batter has accepted the new role wholeheartedly, which has given the batting a lot more depth.
KL Rahul has enjoyed immense success as the No. 5 batter, scoring over 1,000 runs at an average in excess of 50, but since the ODI series against Sri Lanka last year, he has been batting a position down. However, Rahul has shown signs of adapting to the demands of the rather unfamiliar slot, and it was evident when he made an unbeaten 42 against Australia in the Champions Trophy semifinal.
Alongside Hardik Pandya, the right-hander added quick 34 runs to shut the door firmly on Australia. Sitanshu Kotak highlighted the flexibility of Rahul, who came almost an hour early to the scheduled net session.
Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak hails versatile cricketer KL Rahul ahead of 2025 Champions Trophy final
Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak praised KL Rahul for his versatility with the willow and agreeing to bat at a lower number than usual for the team’s sake. He also asserted that the Karnataka batter, who has also been keeping wickets for India in ODIs of late, is happy with the role that he is performing for the team.
Rahul has been batting at No. 6 in the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy, with left-handed batter Axar Patel coming in ahead of him. There have been mixed views to India’s tactics, with some experts questioning the logic of Rahul batting after Axar. Both players have performed key roles in Team India’s journey to the final.
Speaking to the media on Friday, March 7, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak opened up on Rahul’s batting position and stated that the player is happy with the role that he has been assigned. Kotak said (as quoted by PTI):
“He is someone who can open, someone who can go at 4 or 5, and someone who is doing what number 6 is demanding. He adapts well and he is very happy in the role he is performing.”
Elaborating on the tactical decision taken by the Indian think tank, the former Saurashtra batter opined that having a quality batter like Rahul at No. 6 has helped the team’s cause. The 52-year-old said:
“When he starts performing at that number that obviously helps him also because it is a different situation he is going in. So, that is great for the team as well. But whatever I have spoken to him, he is happy to do whatever the team requires, and he has been doing that.”
In 31 innings while batting at No. 5 in ODIs, Rahul has scored 1,299 runs at an average of 56.47 and a strike rate of 96.36, with two hundreds and nine half-centuries. At No. 6, he has batted seven times so far, scoring 160 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate 89.38.
India won the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States. However, overall, they have a rather poor record in ICC tournament finals. Kotak, however, dismissed talks of the team being under undue pressure. He asserted that there are enough experienced players in the team to handle the situation.
“The seniors, young players… they all talk. That is something very priceless. Rohit, Virat, Hardik, those guys are talking along with Shami and Jadeja. They have 15-20 years of experience. They are talking to the players who have been playing for two or three years. So, some things, obviously, you learn with experience,” the former Saurashtra batter said.
Before winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, India tasted defeats in the 2023 ODI World Cup final and World Test Championship (WTC) final earlier in the same year. They also reached the summit clash of the 2017 Champions Trophy, but went down to Pakistan.