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Indian team might have won the second ODI against West Indies by 44 runs but former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar is not totally happy with team India’s batting order.
In the first ODI match, Ishan Kishan had opened the innings along with skipper Rohit Sharma and in the second match, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant had replaced Kishan and started the batting. While talking about this change, Gavaskar said that he feels Rishabh is “better off at 6 or 7, depending on how the team has gone” and “he should be the finisher."
Gavaskar speaks
“To be honest with you, I was surprised to see Rishabh Pant up the order because I have always felt that he is probably better off at 6 or 7, depending on how the team has gone. He should be the finisher. My feeling is that Rahul will partner Rohit as the opener, and Surya would probably bat at No. 4,” Gavaskar said mid-innings of the 2nd ODI.
Apart from Pant’s ideal postion, Gavaskar also talked about one particular player, someone Indian team would have wanted to be in their team.
“Then maybe at 5, you will have somebody like a Rishabh Pant and then a Washington Sundar. Don’t forget, India are feeling the absence of Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7, 8. He was scoring so many runs and hitting the big shots. Brilliant fielder and picking up wickets in the middle order. He is being missed greatly by this Indian team,” Gavaskar explained.
KL Rahul's dismissal
In the second ODI, KL Rahul played a solid knock of 49 runs off 48 balls but eventually due to a miscommunication with Suryakumar Yadav he had to go back to the dressing room. While analysing the dismissal, the former World Cup-winning batter pointed out that “Rahul was looking at the fielder" and there was “ a little bit of confusion in Rahul’s mind.”
“You could perhaps sense that Rahul was looking at the fielder, and when he started that second run and looked, he thought that Surya was not coming back for the second. Surya had taken that first run pretty casually. He hadn’t rushed for it. And when Rahul was half way down, Surya had barely left the batting crease to come back for the second. That is where that caused a little bit of confusion in Rahul’s mind,” the 72-year-old former cricketer opined.
