Gautam Gambhir slammed for batting KL Rahul at No. 6 after Axar Patel in 2nd ODI
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Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth has heavily criticized head coach Gautam Gambhir following India's rain-shortened second ODI encounter against New Zealand at Wellington on November 7, 2026. Srikkanth questioned the tactical decision to promote Axar Patel to bat at No.
5 while slotting wicketkeeper KL Rahul at No. 6 during the 26-over contest that ended with India at 113 for 7, securing a narrow four-run victory via the DLS method after showers halted play.
Rahul finished unbeaten on 26 runs from 38 deliveries, hitting a pair of boundaries and two sixes, leading Srikkanth to argue that deploying a marquee batter lower than all-rounders represents unfair treatment.
In addition to the batting order debate, the fixture highlighted a stellar bowling display from young Indian speedster Gurnoor Brar, who claimed career-best figures of four wickets for 30 runs in helpful overcast conditions. Srikkanth praised the impact of India's pace attack during the weather-interrupted fixture, comparing their success when conditions favour movement to historical bowling strengths.
Rohit Sharma opened the innings alongside captain Shubman Gill, with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer also featuring in the top order before the early stoppage.