3 reasons why KL Rahul's shift to middle order in T20s would be a bad move
KL Rahul has taken off for South Africa where he will lead Team India in the three-match ODI series and will also be a part of the Test side against the Proteas. This marks a notable transition in Rahul's career since he now assumes a greater responsibility as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
This shift signals the early stages of a new chapter in his cricketing journey, with the era of KL Rahul, the opener, pushed into a corner. There is a growing likelihood that he will not only keep wickets in the three ODIs but will also take up wicketkeeping duties in the Test matches. There are also reports that suggest that Rahul could slot into the T20I side as a genuine wicket-keeper batter option.
Here, we take a look at 3 reasons why KL Rahul's shift to the middle order in the T20s would be a bad move:
#3 Best impact right at the top
Quite often there is this narrative that KL Rahul sucks out all the momentum in the powerplay in T20s. However, this is just a narrative and Rahul has often shown the ability to take on the bowlers from the first ball if he thinks it’s the right way to go.
KL Rahul held the record for slamming the fastest fifty in IPL history for a while after he cracked a match-winning 51 off 14 balls in 2018 while playing for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Capitals. There were two seasons when his strike rate was in excess of 145, with a career average strike rate of nearly 135. These are serious numbers and with his temperament, he will be best suited to opening the innings.
#2 Middle order needs specialist finishers
India seem to have identified Jitesh Sharma as a wicket-keeper-batter in the middle overs. The Vidarbha batter became a superb hitter lower down the order for the Punjab Kings and impressed on his debut against Australia as well. He has edged out Ishan Kishan since the left-hander is more of a top-order player, and this is arguably the right way to move forward.
Playing in the final five overs is a skill that is quite niche and KL Rahul, for all his experience and abilities, needs to focus more on getting the side off to a cracking start and playing more of an achor role due to his experience and dependability. Of course, this will be the case if he does make it to the Indian T20I team in the future.
#1 Rishabh Pant, Jitesh Sharma, Sanju Samson, et all
KL Rahul is reportedly committed to transitioning exclusively to the middle-order slot after a superb run in the Asia Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he amassed an impressive 452 runs in 10 games (in the second tournament) with an average exceeding 75.
There are reports that suggest Rahul wants to now secure a middle-order position across all formats, including T20 Internationals, where he has lost his spot. Sources familiar with the discussions indicate that Rahul is resolute in regaining his T20I berth for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Lucknow has recognized openers like Quinton de Kock, Kyle Mayers, and new recruit Devdutt Padikkal and this could mean Rahul could move down the order. However, this will then add a lot of confusion over the slots of Rishabh Pant, Jitesh Sharma, and Sanju Samson, who are all middle order batters as well.