"What do you do now?" - Aakash Chopra on KL Rahul failing at No. 6 in first 2 IND vs ENG 2025 ODIs

Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned how the Indian think tank would treat KL Rahul after he failed with the bat in the first two ODIs against England. He wondered whether No. 6 was the ideal position for the wicketkeeper-batter.

India bundled England out for 304 in the second ODI in Cuttack on Sunday, February 9. Although Rahul managed only 10 runs off 14 deliveries, the Men in Blue achieved the target with four wickets and 33 deliveries to spare to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener wasn't convinced about the hosts' decision to bat Rahul at No. 6.

"KL Rahul is batting at No. 6. Is KL Rahul the best option to bat at No. 6? That's a big question because you send a left-hander ahead of him. When he gets to bat, he didn't score runs in the last match and didn't score runs in this match as well," he said (13:25).

"He didn't score runs in two innings in Sri Lanka. There he batted at No. 7 and then you dropped for the third match. Now you have played him here but runs haven't been scored in the two matches here as well. So what do you do now?" Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Hardik Pandya drops to No. 7 if KL Rahul bats at No. 6, and opined that it was two positions lower than the all-rounder's ideal spot. While acknowledging that Hardik cannot potentially bat at No. 5, Chopra added that it's not a great game plan if he plays lower than No. 6.

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"I feel this is written in stone" - Aakash Chopra on Axar Patel's batting position after IND vs ENG 2025 2nd ODI

Axar Patel scored an unbeaten 41 off 43 deliveries in the second ODI against England. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra reckoned that Axar Patel has virtually sealed the No. 5 position in India's batting order with his performances in the first two ODIs against England. He scored 52 in the first and 41* in the second match.

"Axar Patel's promotion shows they don't need a left-hander in the top four but need it at No. 5. I feel this is written in stone. It's not going to change. Runs in the first and second matches, winning performances, Axar Patel is here to stay, which makes a lot of sense. Why would you move someone if he is playing well?" he said.

While observing that Shreyas Iyer has also virtually made himself a certainty at No. 4, the analyst questioned how Rohit Sharma and company contemplated leaving him out for the first ODI against England.

"Shreyas Iyer was brilliant. He batted extremely well. He is also cementing his position. He is also highlighting what a ridiculous idea it was to think that you could have dropped Shreyas Iyer. That's what you do. You have the bat in your hand and it talks," Chopra elaborated.

Shreyas scored 44 runs off 47 deliveries in the second ODI against England. He smashed a 36-ball 59 in the series opener in Nagpur after being included in the XI when Virat Kohli was ruled out due to a swelling in his knee.