India misses him greatly: Gavaskar identifies the player who scored so many runs and hit big shots

Even though India won the ODI series 2-0 and secured a 2-0 lead over the West Indies, they still have chinks in their batting. When India was reduced to 43/3, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav put on 91 runs to stabilize the innings. India lost their way once the alliance ended, and ended up with 237/9 when 250 seemed easily achievable at one time.

In Gavaskar’s view, Rishabh Pant should open for India and Rahul should bat at No. 4, as both players should have different roles within the team. Suryakumar and Rahul made a small mix-up, which led to Rahul’s run-out. Rahul stopped and staggered for a moment when returning for his second run, and that was enough for him to be caught short of the crease. In addition, the former captain noted the absence of an all-rounder down the order who remained brilliant in the field and scored runs, picked wickets, and stood out as a brilliant fielder. ”Rishabh Pant’s move up the order was surprising to me since I always felt he should be at six or seven, depending on the batting order. It makes sense to finish with him. In my opinion, Rahul will open with Rohit, and Surya will probably bat at No. 4,” Gavaskar stated. 

In Gavaskar’s analysis, the exact moment of the run-out was pinpointed. Rahul may have been looking at the fielder when he started his second run, and when he looked, he thought Surya wasn’t coming back for his second. The first run was taken quite casually by Surya. There was no rush. In fact, Surya had barely left the batting crease when Rahul was halfway down to return for the second. That is why Rahul was confused,” he added.