New Delhi: Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth, part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, expressed sharp criticism of India’s batting strategy in the first ODI against Australia in Perth, particularly the decision to send all-rounder Axar Patel ahead of KL Rahul.
“KL Rahul should play ahead of Shreyas Iyer. It was an absurd decision by the team and management. If he scores, he scores big. Axar Patel going higher than KL is absolute rubbish,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, as reported by NDTV.
He stressed that Rahul, one of India’s most reliable batsmen, should have batted at No. 4 or No. 5 to maximise his impact. “The point is not whether Axar played well. You have one of the best and classiest players in your XI. KL should have come in at five. If I were captain, I would have sent him at four. Conditions in Australia are different from the subcontinent, and he should play the maximum number of balls,” Srikkanth added.
The former opener also criticised the handling of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, arguing he should have batted higher once Rahul and Axar were dismissed. “Another mistake was not sending Nitish in after KL and Axar got out. You took him as a big hitter, then put him in front. Don’t go behind the left-right combination,” he said.
Srikkanth pointed out that India’s innings lost momentum early. “India started giving up after 60 or 70 for two. If they had 150 on the board, they wouldn’t have given up. Even someone like Marsh would have found it difficult,” he noted.
The rain-affected match was reduced to 26 overs per side, with KL Rahul top-scoring with 38 off 31 balls, while Axar contributed 31. India were restricted to 136/9 in the shortened contest.
The second ODI between India and Australia is scheduled for Thursday, and India will look to adjust their batting strategy to post a more competitive total.
