Sunil Gavaskar Warns India, KL Rahul’s Next-Ball Act Leaves Him Speechless

Now India have wrapped up the ODI series at the end of the 3rd match, the first two matches having been won handsomely by the hosts. If one remembers both of these matches, one realizes that India's batting performance called for a similar ending at the end of each pursuit when victory was practically assured. The former India captain Sunil Gavaskar happened to be in the commentary box at the time in the second ODI when after the dismissals of Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul ended up falling attempting to pull a short ball.

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“They’ve got it in control. India don’t need to do anything stupid at this point. Just 30 more needed. Get these runs in singles if need be," Gavaskar could be heard saying just as Jamie Overton was loading his run-up. Gavaskar could be heard saying just as Jamie Overton was loading his run-up when the pacer sent in a short delivery; Rahul swivelled trying to pull but he overestimated the speed of the ball; it reached him once he was almost through with the shot and took his glove before going to the wicketkeeper Phil Salt. Rahul was gone for 10 runs off 14 balls. Gavaskar didn't comment at all on the dismissal.

An unproductive series with the bat for Rahul

India were 220/3 when Rohit fell after a masterful 119 off 90 balls. That set his side on the way in the chase of 304, but the innings then imploded suddenly to 286/6, without losing no less than three wickets between the 37th and 42nd overs. India ended winning the match by four wickets-a margin of victory that turned out to be the same in the first ODI.

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India's collapse was also noted in the 2nd ODI, the former head coach Ravi Shastri saying in the commentary box that the team perhaps needs to think again about their batting positions in the middle order. He further questioned their strategy of leaving out Rishabh Pant.

Rahul has pipped Pant to India's wicketkeeper-batter title owing to better numbers as a middle-order batsman. In seven ODI innings at No. 5, Pant has scored 310 runs at a sound average of 44.28, with three fifties. But then again, this is nothing as compared to the mind-boggling average of 57.22 Rahul has in that very position batting in 30 ODIs with 1259 runs against his name. However, he has managed to score two centuries and nine half-centuries. Yet, during this series, he hasn't really made a difference, having fallen for only two runs in the first ODI.

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