Wanted: Role clarity for KL Rahul

NewsSports NewsCricket NewsWanted: Role clarity for KL Rahul Their best No. 5 batter features in the XI, but he is not batting there.For far too long in his 12-year international career, KL Rahul has been seen as Indian cricket’s utility man.

Someone who can fill gaps rather than command a role. He has opened, batted in the middle order, kept wickets, played as a finisher and even served as a stop-gap solution whenever injuries or team combinations demanded adjustment.

In many ways, he has been used as India’s “spare tyre”. Someone who is always available when needed but rarely afforded the security other batters enjoy.The irony is that whenever Rahul has been handed a clearly defined role, he has thrived.

The numbers prove the point.Rahul has scored 1,646 runs in ODIs at No. 5 at an average of 68.58 with a strike rate exceeding 103. Axar averages 30.41 in the position. Overseas, Axar’s average falls to under 20.One understands why the team management likes the idea of Axar as a floater.

It happened in the Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma era too. India value a left-right combination to use the unequal dimensions of certain grounds. And, with Hardik Pandya unavailable to bat at No. 6, they need batting depth till No.

8. But in trying to compensate for Hardik’s absence, are India compromising another position? If Hardik at No. 6 and Rahul at No. 5 is the World Cup blueprint, why wait until 2027 to implement it?Join conversation The World Cup will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, countries where early starts, fresh pitches and quality seam bowling will place the middle-order under relentless scrutiny.

Their technique will trump theories.India should be using this period to give Rahul ownership of the role rather than treating him as a floating solution. Despite Axar’s whiteball skills being on the wane lately, he remains a valued asset.

However, his optimum use could be lower down the order where his finishing ability and left-arm spin provide balance. Why burden him with the responsibility of rebuilding an innings in the event of a top-order collapse?Rahul has adapted to what the team needed for far too long.

Perhaps it is time the team adapts to what Rahul does best. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app. Abhijeet Dipke Attacks PM Modi Over Trump, US Trade Dea & SIR Rowl At Kochi Protest Sonam Wangchuk Accuses Ladakh Admin Of ‘Witch-Hunting’, Seeks President Murmu’s Intervention ‘Dimagi Naxals Have Taken Control…’: PM Modi WARNS During Diwali Address In Bastar Sonia Gandhi Says She Cried Watching Babri Masjid Demolition On TV; BJP's 'Dil Mein Babar' Attack ‘Come To Ayodhya But…’: Yogi Demands Apology From Akhilesh Yadav Ahead Of Ram Temple Visit IAF's IL-76 Makes World's Highest-Altitude Landing At Ladakh's Nyoma Airbase Near China Border Akhilesh Yadav To Visit Ayodhya Ram Temple For First Time Since Consecration Ahead Of 2027 UP Polls 'It Was Done Constitutionally': Sonia Gandhi Reflects On Emergency, Slams Modi Govt; BJP Hits Back “Not Supported By Tests”: Centre Rejects Karnataka’s Excess Ethanol Claim; E20 Row Deepens 18,000 Special Trains, 700 AI Cameras: Railways Prepares For Festive Rush Amid Diwali, Chhath Puja CeeDee Lamb is more than just a Dallas Cowboys superstar, and his latest off-field move makes that clear Kansas City Chiefs avoid a Patrick Mahomes nightmare, yet the road ahead is more complicated than the early good news suggests Caleb Williams’ health-first approach is changing his Bears season, and it all starts with what he eats