"Wisemen in dressing room find different ways to demote him" - Former India pacer slams move to demote KL Rahul in IND vs ENG 2025 1st ODI

Former India pacer Dodda Ganesh has questioned the move to demote KL Rahul in the batting order in the ongoing ODI between India and England in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6. Bowling first, the Men in Blue put up a spirited display to restrict England to 248 in 47.4 overs.

In the chase, the hosts lost openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (15) and Rohit Sharma (2) in quick time. Shubman Gill walked out to bat at No. 3 in the absence of Virat Kohli while Shreyas Iyer (59) came in at No. 4.

However, in a surprising move, all-rounder Axar Patel was promoted up the order. The left-hander was sent in at No. 5 ahead of KL Rahul, who usually bats at that position in ODIs.

Dodda Ganesh, taking to X (formerly Twitter), argued that Rahul should have retained his position. He wrote:

"KL Rahul has been best at no 5; but the wisemen in the dressing room find different ways to demote him in this batting lineup. Absolutely ridiculous. What are you going to achieve by sending Axar at no 5? #INDvENG," he tweeted.

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KL Rahul was India's unsung hero during the 2023 World Cup at No. 5

Notably, KL Rahul has been a solid performer for India in ODIs batting at No. 5. The experienced right-hander also played a massive role batting at the position throughout the 2023 World Cup, that often goes unnoticed.

He was India's fourth-highest run-getter in the tournament. Batting in 10 innings from 11 matches, Rahul scored 452 runs at an impressive average of 75.33. The right-hander also scored a hundred and a couple of half-centuries.

His contribution was vital in India's dominant run to the final during the home World Cup. Rahul has batted in a total of 30 ODI innings at No. 5 in his career so far. He has scored 1259 runs at an average of 57 including two centuries and nine half-centuries.

In the recent past, he has been India's best batter at No. 5 as far as the one-day format is concerned.