India are Champions Trophy-ready. Almost every batter has scored, while the bowling, which in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah is a worry, has also done well in the 3-0 whitewash of England. The smiles at the end of the series said it all. It seemed that the doom and gloom of Australia was finally past. The coach and captain are both on the same page and, in every sense, things looked good as the team gets ready to travel to Dubai.
While India went in with KL Rahul for the third consecutive game, it meant leaving Rishabh Pant on the bench yet again. He was the only player who did not get a game in the series, and it can be conjectured that he will be the back-up option in the Champions Trophy. But what is interesting is where KL Rahul batted in the third ODI. He scored a good 40 off 29 balls batting at No. 5, a position he had made his own in the 2023 World Cup.
At No. 5, he has always scored runs. At 6, however, he has struggled. But then India played Axar Patel at No. 5 twice in a row, and both times, the experiment was successful. That’s what brings me to the Pant question. Should the management have tried Pant at No. 6 to check if he was able to finish things well and give themselves an additional option?
Going to Dubai, where will Rahul bat, at No. 5 or 6? Will India continue with the Axar batting experiment or will they allow Rahul to be comfortable? Do they have the answers they were seeking?
When a team wins, most questions are brushed under the carpet. Each one of us is praising the batters, saying how good Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill have looked. We are also speaking about Arshdeep Singh and the spinners. In doing so, the key Rahul-versus-Pant question has kind of taken a back seat.
Had Rahul scored in the first two games, it could well be that India would have tried Pant. But with Rahul not getting runs and not getting adequate batting time, the team management persisted with him to give him the confidence he needs. While it was good to see, we can only hope that such a long rope is given to Pant or any other player as well. That a match-winner like Pant wasn’t tried was slightly strange, but then a winning dressing room is always a happy one.
In sum, India are ready. With Pakistan chasing down 350 against South Africa, the stage is nicely set for the big game. While there is Bangladesh on February 20, all eyes are already on India v Pakistan. Fans from across the world will travel to Dubai, and it is one game which neither side wants to lose. Just hope Rahul comes good in that game, and Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma are clear whether to continue with the Axar experiment or not. For the moment, however, things look in control heading to Dubai, as captain and coach celebrate their first ODI series win since coming together in July 2024.
