One of the most reliable batters in the middle-order in this ICC Champions Trophy 2025, KL Rahul has been a subject of intense debates on social media over his batting position. Though an opening batter by trait, Rahul has featured at No. 5 or No. 6 for India in the Champions Trophy 2025, making many experts and former cricketers question if it is right to play the wicket-keeper batter that deep. When Rahul was asked about his honest opinion on the chatter around his batting position, he admitted that he does enjoy batting more at the top of the order.
“Yeah, I do [enjoy batting at the top], I mean I won’t lie,” Rahul told Star Sports after India sealed their progression to the Champions Trophy 2025 final with a win over Australia. “It’s after opening the batting in Australia in Test matches and having to face that attack in Australia and you know how red-ball [cricket] is much harder. I opened the batting there and then to come here and bat low seems a bit different, but this is how I’ve played white-ball cricket in the last four-five years,” he added.
Rahul opened the batting for India in a few matches against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has opened for the team in T20Is as well as ODIs. But, at the moment, it’s the Rohit Sharma-Shubman Gill combination that the management is relying on.
Rahul, however, doesn’t mind donning the finisher’s cap for the team as he has gotten used to doing it over the last 4 years or so.
“So, I’m quite used to going up and down the order so I’m just happy getting a chance to play in the middle and whatever role is given, I think it’s really helped me understand my game a lot more and I’ve had to work on boundary hitting a lot more in the last year or so because the last ODI we played in Sri Lanka I batted at No. 6, so I knew that’s where I’ll be batting and [we] needed a left-hander in the top order,” he added.
“Honestly, I mean it’s since I think 2020 I’ve batted at No.5 and a lot of times people forget that that’s where I’ve been batting,” Rahul said.
Rahul, in a rather candid avatar, called out the unfair chatter around his place in the ODI team despite doing so well at almost every position he has been given over the last few years.
“And every time I perform in a series and then there’s a break from ODI series, ODI cricket and then we come back after four or five months there’s a question mark again about ‘oh well will he play in the XI, where does he fit’ and sometimes I’m sitting there thinking what more can I do. Everywhere that I’ve been asked to play I’ve played and I feel like I have performed my role. Whatever’s been told to me by Rohit [Sharma], Rohit’s been the captain for the last four-five years,” he added.
“And whatever he’s told me I feel like I’ve done that to the best of my ability. And I know that Rohit feels the same and he’s always supported me and backed me with that. So, there’s that confidence going into the game that the captain has my back,” he concluded.