K.L. Rahul at No. 5 could be Rohit Sharma's trump card in ODI World Cup 2023

K.L. Rahul strikes the ball at a better rate in the middle order, at 102.03 against 79.70 as the opener. (Image source: Twitter/KLRahul)

It's an ODI World Cup year, and every hiring, firing or batting order reshuffle will raise eyebrows as the Indian cricket team filters the best XV from their player pool. K.L. Rahul, known for opening the innings, moved back to No. 5 so that the side could test the slot with youngsters Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan; the selectors have started to look beyond Shikhar Dhawan.

Rahul has opened in all formats but always fared well at No. 5 in ODIs. The right-hander delivered in the 3-0 whitewash over Sri Lanka to cement his spot in the new batting position and silence the critics who thought his time was up after a lean 2022. Kishan's 126-ball 200 against Bangladesh as an opener further changed perceptions.

Master puller Rahul can adjust at different positions and remain equally authoritative with shot selection. He batted at a strike rate of 134.48 in the first game against the islanders to score 39 off 29 balls and took it slow at 62.13 in the second as the situation demanded him to stay on the wicket. The unbeaten 64 off 103 balls steered India home from a tricky situation (62/3) while chasing 216.

Rahul was India's highest-scorer in ODIs in 2020-21 with 620 runs, and most of those runs came when he batted at five. Overall, his average at No. 5 reads 54.25; at the top, it is 43.57. He strikes the ball at a better rate in the middle order at 102.03 against 79.70 as the opener. Three years ago against New Zealand, he even scored a hundred (112 off 113) at No. 5.

There was a slump in form in 2022 after returning to action from a long injury lay-off which led to murmurs.

Aakash Chopra: 'It's time we appreciate Rahul'

Former India Test player and cricket analyst Aakash Chopra feels Rahul is being selfless which augurs well for India.

"He is doing what the team is asking him to do. It is a huge thing. The best for Rahul will be to open, but for the team, it is best to bat at 5. I am sure he would have scored more hundreds, probably a double hundred, as an opener. When you look at the Indian ODI setup, there is no place at the top. Kishan scored a double hundred, but he has not been getting regular games. He is not opening in all games either," Chopra told Moneycontrol.com.

On Thursday, Gill scored his maiden double-hundred against New Zealand after opening the innings with Rohit Sharma.

Chopra believes Rahul is versatile enough to bat anywhere. "He can bat lower down the order. You can't say the same for other people. Other players can bat at 1,2,3 but may not be as successful as Rahul at 5. It is time we acknowledge how good a player he is.

"People were questioning his selection before the series. Let's not mix formats and have a bias to the extent that we completely forget what happened in the past," he said, adding: "Batting in the middle-order is the toughest. It is easier to bat at the top."

Reading the situation

Former India batter and erstwhile BCCI selector Devang Gandhi backed Rahul to continue at No. 5. "Rahul has delivered the goods at No. 5 in the last couple of seasons. I would discount the few failures he has had as an opener in T20Is, but when it comes to ODI cricket, he has done exceedingly well. We should all back him to play at No. 5," he said.

Gandhi, who saw the emergence of Rahul during his days as selector, feels the batter can play according to the situation. "His mindset and intent will matter. Whenever he goes in, there will be a situation laid out for him. India could be 50/3, or he might go in to bat in the last 10 or 15 overs. He needs to adjust his game and prepare accordingly," he added.

Wicketkeeping option

The dynamic cricketer also provides an additional wicketkeeping option. It helps manage the workload of other wicketkeeper-batters, and at present, with Rishabh Pant out for an indefinite period due to a road accident, the 30-year-old will continue the fine job behind the stumps with Kishan being the second stumper in the mix. Rahul is agile and fit enough to dive full-length to catch the one-handers. Mahmudullah's catch in the second ODI in Mirpur was straight out of the MSD stylebook.

Rahul has kept wickets in 15 ODIs, scoring 663 runs in those games. And when he keeps, the batting average reads 55.25 against 40.23 when he is not. However, he has to keep performing in all games leading to the World Cup to earn his spot as the competition will be stiff in the presence of Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya.