New Delhi: Cricketing icon Sunil Gavaskar expressed disappointment with KL Rahul’s batting technique and the manner in which he got out during the first ODI against England at VCA Stadium in Nagpur. Rahul was dismissed for just two runs off nine balls, contributing little to India’s chase. Despite his early departure, India triumphed over England by four wickets, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
KL Rahul walked in to bat when India required 28 more runs to win the first ODI. The 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batter found himself in the number six position, with left-handed Axar Patel promoted up the order to maintain the left-right batting combination in the middle.
India’s vice-captain, who had joined Rohit Sharma after Yashasvi Jaiswal‘s dismissal in the fifth over, was nearing his century, having scored 81 when KL Rahul walked out to bat. Rahul appeared eager to give the strike back to Shubman Gill, but in his attempt, he ended up chipping a delivery from Adil Rashid straight back to the bowler and was dismissed, returning to the pavilion.
Before KL Rahul’s dismissal, Sunil Gavaskar had cautioned the Karnataka batter against prioritizing Shubman Gill‘s century over playing his natural game. “He should play his natural game. He is prodding to make sure his partner has a chance of getting a hundred,” Gavaskar remarked during commentary (via The Hindustan Times).
After Rahul’s wicket, Gavaskar was critical of his approach, stating that it had no place in the team dynamic. “Look what happened. This is exactly what I was talking about. This is a team game, you don’t have to do that. He was looking to tap the ball to help his partner get to a century. It was a half-hearted shot,” Gavaskar said.
Soon after, Gill, who had been looking solid, was dismissed in the very next over, putting India in a bit of a tight spot. However, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja stepped up, scoring the remaining runs to guide India to a four-wicket victory over England.
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