Former Indian chairman of selectors and commentator Kris Srikkanth questioned the Indian selection committee, headed by Gautam Gambhir, for promoting Axar Patel up the order in the two ODIs against New Zealand.
While Axar was dismissed for a two-ball duck in the first ODI against New Zealand, he scored seven off 17 balls in the second ODI. However, India managed to bag wins in both games, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-game series.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former Indian captain showered praise on KL Rahul, calling him one of the most comfortable batters in the just-concluded two ODIs, adding that Gambhir needs to understand Rahul is a marquee player and demoting him to No.6 is gross injustice.
“He’s the only one who looked comfortable in the second ODI. Once the conditions are difficult, only two players step up – Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. If Rahul got out early in the last match, India were finished. But what justice is it to send Rahul at No.6 after Axar Patel? How can you justify Axar Patel batting ahead of him? Gautam Gambhir needs to understand Rahul is a marquee player. He has scored centuries at No.3 and 4 for India. Yet, he is being reduced to such a role. It’s gross injustice,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Further, Srikkanth heaped praise on the young Indian pacer Gurnoor Brar, who was exceptional in the initial two ODIs of the ongoing five-game series, emerging as the leading wicket-taker of the series, scalping seve wickets in two games.
“Gurnoor Brar is pretty good in ODIs and Tests. It’s in T20s that he’s a problem. But the young Indian pacers have really impressed. Indian pacers have always delivered when conditions favor them, not just now, but for years, since the Javagal Srinath days. But on normal wickets, Indian pacers always get smashed,” he added.
