Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth slammed the management for their handling of veteran wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul amid the ongoing ODI series against England. The 34-year-old surprisingly walked out to bat at No.6 in the series opener at Edgbaston despite his incredible overall ODI record and his numbers at No.4 and 5.
Rahul missed the second ODI at Cardiff yesterday, with Ishan Kishan replacing him in the playing XI. Yet, the latter batted at No.4, ahead of the well-established Shreyas Iyer.
The move led to an outraged Srikkanth questioning the team management’s hypocrisy with Rahul. He said on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka (11:47):
“When Kishan can bat at No. 4, why not Rahul? This management is just finishing Rahul. They seem to only want to destroy good players. It’s rubbish that they send KL Rahul at 6 and 7. If Rahul is fit, he should be batting at No.4.”
Despite batting at No.4, Kishan disappointed with the willow, falling for an eight-ball one. In Rahul’s absence, Team India was bowled out for only 233 and suffered a four-wicket loss in the second England ODI.
“He has been sent to the shed” – Kris Srikkanth on Ravindra Jadeja
Kris Srikkanth further questioned the team management on their handling of veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the ODI format. The 37-year-old has not featured in the Indian squad for their last two ODI assignments, including the ongoing tussle against England.
“He (Jadeja) has been sent to the shed. I don’t understand why Jadeja isn’t being considered when they play guys like Shedge. They are developing Shivam Dube of all people as an all-rounder,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
Jadeja endured a dismal ODI series against New Zealand when last seen in the format earlier in the year. The ace left-arm spinner went wicketless in all three matches, while conceding runs at an economy of over six.
Yet, the team management has remained tight-lipped about Jadeja’s ODI future, with the 2027 World Cup only 15 months away. The champion all-rounder played a key role in India’s last ICC ODI event, the 2025 Champions Trophy, with five wickets in as many games at an economy of under 4.50.
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
