CHENNAI: The last time India toured Zimbabwe, KL Rahul became the first male batter from the country to score a century on ODI debut. He made his debut as an opener and has been one of the top three options for the role in the 50-over format. Six years on, Rahul will be returning to Harare as the captain, but it is not quite clear what his role would be in the batting line-up.
In the past, he has been shuffled between various roles based on the availability of their first-choice openers, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Since January 2019, Rahul has opened only 14 times in 29 innings. In a full-strength Indian ODI XI, he largely bats at No 5 and gets moved around depending on the number of overs left. In the nine times he has batted at No 5 during the aforementioned period, Rahul averages 63.71, while striking at 114.35.
The last time India fielded a full-strength XI was against England in March 2021, and they had Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya with Rahul sandwiching them. With Pant averaging 39.05 at a SR of 110.46 (since Jan 2019) while batting between No 4-7, and Hardik (39.47 avg with a SR of 113.34), the trio forged a dynamic middle-order — something India lacked in their previous World Cup cycle. In fact, since the pandemic broke, none of the top three has scored a century. It is the middle-order that has been stepping up for them.
Which is why where Rahul would bat in the three-match ODI series is interesting. In the West Indies tour, Shubman Gill opened and seemed to be settling into that role, with 205 runs in three innings. Although Ruturaj Gaikwad is also in the squad, Gill could potentially keep his role at the top. Unless, the skipper wants to do it himself.
It is no secret that Rahul has been struggling with intermittent injuries off late. In 2022, he has played only two Tests and four ODIs. Coming back into the side from an injury, the 30-year-old has been picked for the Zimbabwe tour to get some game-time under his belt (initially, Rahul’s availability was subject to fitness). With the Asia Cup and a tight schedule in the lead up to the T20 World Cup in Australia, this series could be the one where they would be testing the waters with Rahul’s fitness.
That said, the focus at the moment is on T20Is and India has a chance to use Rahul at No 5 and play the way they would want him to in the shortest format while retaining his regular role in the ODI setup. It would also help them groom Gill into the role as a backup opener for the home ODI World Cup next year. However, with this management, one can’t be sure. In recent months, apart from Rohit, everyone else has been moved around to figure out who would fit in where. It’s been chaotic, but with results going their way, it hasn’t affected them. This Zimbabwe tour is an opportunity for Rahul to get into groove for the T20 World Cup, but how he and VVS Laxman, who would be coaching the team for this series, are going to use it, one would have to wait and watch.