Former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made a statement on India star wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul after the ODI series against the West Indies went in vain. The Men in Blue won the bilateral assignment by a margin of 2-1.

The right-handed batter scored an unbeaten 129 runs, with the help of 10 fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 148.28 as India reached 351 for 7 in 50 overs. However, the Windies secured a five-wicket win, with captain Shai Hope amassing a hundred.

Ashwin mentioned that Rahul was criticised unnecessarily for his strike rate. He gave the example of former India skipper MS Dhoni, who would take the game deep. Ashwin stated that Rahul has the ability to change gears and highlighted that it is not easy to bat down the order.

“He doesn’t deserve to be criticised. He can change gears when he wants. There are times when critics say that he bats slowly. When you are batting in that order, it is not easy to be aggressive from the start. Look at MS Dhoni and the number of times he would take the game deep. It is because you can never play in one gear in that role. You have to keep changing, and it is complicated,” Ashwin said.

Ashwin kept Rahul above Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel for the number five and six positions. He praised the senior batter for his game.

“Why is KL Rahul playing that role? I will put my money on this. We have Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel. If any of them bats at Rahul’s position, they would take a lot of time to do what he is doing for the Indian team. He is comfortable against spinners and pacers, has no problem with the short ball, runs well between the wickets and has a good technique. He also has the power game. He went after the bowlers, and that is the reason why West Indies conceded 350 runs.”

Vijay Shankar hails KL Rahul

Vijay Shankar heaped massive praise on KL Rahul, saying the batter is batting in a difficult position but is still scoring runs.

“He is playing a difficult role. There are times when he doesn’t get a chance to bat, or when a team loses early wickets, he has to go in early. He is finding ways to score runs and is playing a good role for the team. The youngsters should follow him,” he said.

Shankar also reckoned that batting at that position has given Rahul the freedom to figure out what is needed.

“He has been playing in that role for a long time. He knows what is needed in those situations. Rahul is consistent, and his numbers are unbelievable. There are times in big matches when the role of the number 5 or 6 becomes very crucial,” he added.

In 36 innings at no.5, Rahul has amassed 1646 runs at an average of 68.58 and a strike rate of 103.19 with four centuries and 10 fifties.