India vs Windies ODI Series 2018: 5 Indian players for whom this series is extremely crucial

#4 KL Rahul

A batsman like him who possesses the technique and temperament to hold and control an innings should have been the No.1 choice to make the No. 4 position in ODIs his own

KL Rahul has been extremely under played in ODI’s for India in recent times. He has had some low scores in the longest format of the game but has been sparingly used by India in ODIs.

A batsman like him who possesses the technique and temperament to hold and control an innings should have been the No.1 choice to make the No. 4 position in ODIs his own. As he is very much capable of rotating the strike against the spinners and can bat for long periods.

But the Indian management has tried various players like MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and KL Rahul to solve their issue with the number 4 position, but nothing seems to have worked thus far.

The main question to be asked is if KL Rahul is in the side only as an alternate/back up opener for Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan? If yes, that explains why he has been given so less opportunities in recent times.

But if they are looking at him as an option to solve the No. 4 position problem, then he must be given the confidence and backing to play all of India’s remaining ODI’s prior to the World Cup, 2019 in that position.

Only if he knows that his captain and team management expect him to make that position his own, can he mentally be equipped for the challenge.

Prithvi Shaw is likely to be tried as an opener in the Windies series. So, keeping that in mind, India must be firm and give KL Rahul the opportunity to play at the crucial No. 4 position uninterrupted. One mustn’t forget what he brings to the table- IPL 2018 is a classic example.