KL Rahul looks in good touch in the ongoing Champions Trophy and has stepped up whenever Team India needed him to deliver. KL Rahul played a crucial role in India's four-wicket win over Australia in the Champions Trophy semifinal, which also guaranteed India a place in the final. He cracked an unbeaten 42 off 34 balls which was decorated with two fours and as many sixes. Notably, Rahul has been positioned at number six in the batting order throughout the tournament, with all-rounder Axar Patel occupying the number five spot. This batting order has now drawn scrutiny from former Indian cricket legend Anil Kumble.
Anil Kumble disagrees with Gambhir Gambhir's tactics for KL Rahul's batting order
Kumble has voiced his opinion that Rahul's batting prowess warrants a higher position in the order. He said that Rahul should bat ahead of Axar Patel, indicating a belief that his skill set is better suited to a more prominent role in the batting lineup.
"He should have come ahead of Axar Patel. I know Axar did a good job of getting that partnership with Virat Kohli but someone like KL Rahul coming in at that stage and this is what he can do - if he gets to 30, he will ensure that you cross the line," Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day.
“He does that and he does that consistently. Yes, he missed out on one opportunity in the last game against New Zealand, but otherwise KL is a class act. This will certainly give him a lot of confidence,” he added.
KL Rahul's performance in the tournament has been marked by consistency and a knack for finishing innings strongly. Notably, in two out of the three innings he has played, Rahul remained unbeaten in the 40s with a commendable strike rate of 96.36
“There is a lot of pressure on him. If he does well, it's expected. If he fails even in one innings, suddenly the whole world comes after him. He was under pressure, even with his keeping in the last game, but today he showed what he is capable of,” said Kumble.
However, despite all the talks around KL Rahul batting order, the star batter has himself made peace with team management's decision. After India defeated Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal, where KL Rahul played a crucial 42-run knock, the star wicketkeeper admitted his preference for batting top of the order but is also happy with the role given to him in the ongoing Champions Trophy.
“Yeah, I do (like batting at the top order). I mean, I won’t lie. It’s after opening the batting in Australia in Test matches (Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25) and having to face that attack in Australia. And, red-ball (cricket) is much harder. I opened the batting there and then to come here and bat low seems a bit different, but this is how I’ve played white-ball cricket in the last four-five years," Rahul told Star Sports on March 4.
“I’m quite used to going up and down the order, so I’m just happy getting a chance to play in the middle and whatever role is given, I think it’s really helped me understand my game a lot more and I’ve had to work on boundary-hitting a lot more in the last year or so, because the last ODI we played in Sri Lanka I batted at No. 6, so I knew that’s where I’ll be batting and needed a left-hander in the top order," Rahul concluded.
Rahul will yet again look to contribute with the bat when India will lock horns with New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 final which is scheduled to be played on March 9 at the Dubai International cricket stadium.
