‘Listen, this is my position,’ Chris Gayle wants KL Rahul to be firm and demanding on batting spot

Need to keep wickets, open the batting in Tests in England, what about batting in the middle order? KL Rahul has done all that and everything the team needs. He has sacrificed his preferred top-order for the India Cricket Team’s sake. Yet, Rahul does not have a fixed spot in the Test team. Not so long ago, he did not have a place in the ODI team. And he is out of the T20Is too. All that for 8565 runs in 248 innings across formats at a lowly average of 39.10. Former West Indies star Chris Gayle wants that changed. And for that to happen, he wants Rahul to be more demanding of the coach and captain for a fixed spot.

“He’s playing a team sport. And I know he’s doing it for the team, as he’s said in interviews. He bats where the captain wants him to. But I think he should stand firm and say, ‘Listen, Skipper, Coach, this is my position’,” Chris Gayle told InsideSport in an exclusive interview.

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Chris Gayle urges KL Rahul to stand up for his spot infront of team management @Dafanewsindia #CricketTwitter #KLRahul #DC #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/ZSCjWx0efn

— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) April 2, 2025

Where does KL Rahul fit in?

He fits in perfectly in almost all the batting slots. Rahul opened the innings in Test, scoring seven centuries in 83 innings, only to be tried out at No 3, No 4, and No 6. He hasn’t had the luck at No 3 spot. But in two innings at No 4, he has fifty. At No 6, he has scored a fifty and a century in nine innings. While he might be the ultimate team player, the constant change in position has harmed his career stats. Overall, he has scored 3257 runs in Tests at an average of just 33.58. That has led him to be in and out of the team frequently.

Currently, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma occupy the opening slots in Tests. Shubman Gill bats at No 3 while Virat Kohli comes in at No 4. With Rishabh Pant taking the No 5 slot, that leaves him with No 6 spot to deal with. But that’s not his ideal position. Rahul will head to England for the IND vs ENG Test series in June but there is still no confirmation on his batting position.

Chris Gayle wants that changed. He wants Rahul to be firm and convey to the team management that he wants to bat in the top order.

“I would love to see him in the top three because he’s such a quality player. He can be very destructive with the white ball, and he’s capable with the red ball too. But he hasn’t really gotten that chance—or been given that chance—to exploit the top order,” Gayle said.

KL Rahul’s stats in Tests: Batting position-wise

Batting Pos	Inns	Runs	Avg	100s	50s	HS
Opening	83	2803	35.04	7	14	199
3	7	112	16.00	0	1	54
4	2	108	54.00	0	1	86
6	9	234	29.25	1	1	101
Overall	101	3257	33.58	8	17	199

ODIs not different either

The battle for spots is not different in ODIs either. Although he batted at No 5 with a lot of success in the ODI World Cup 2023, he was demoted to No 6 with Axar Patel batting ahead of him in the Champions Trophy. In ODIs, Rahul has opened the innings on 23 occasions, batted at No 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 — always to accommodate someone else in India’s Playing XI.

“Even though those youngsters are doing so well at the top, he could say, ‘I’ve been around longer than these guys. This is where I want to be. This is my spot.’ You’ve got to be a bit more demanding and tell them, ‘I want to be in my rightful position—whether you choose me to open the batting or bat at number three.’ He deserves that opportunity,” Gayle said.

KL Rahul’s stats in ODIs: Batting position-wise

Batting Pos	Inns	Runs	Avg	SR	100s	50s	HS
Opening	23	915	43.57	79.7	3	6	111
3	3	77	25.67	78.57	0	0	47
4	13	558	55.8	86.78	2	3	111*
5	31	1299	56.48	96.36	2	9	112
6	8	194	48.5	91.51	0	0	42*
7	1	0		0	0	0	0
Overall	79	3043	49.08	88.18	7	18	112

Is there a spot for KL Rahul at the top?

While he has proven his worth at all the positions, the bigger question is: can Team India accommodate him at the top? The answer will be a straight “No” in ODIs as long as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play. But in Tests, that opportunity could open up in the IND vs ENG series in June.

Although Yashasvi Jaiswal has cemented his opening spot, there is a huge question mark on Rohit Sharma’s spot. Rohit has averaged 10.93 in Tests since September 2024, with 10 single-digit scores in 15 innings. If the selectors take a bold step, Rohit might be forced to vacate the opening spot and even lose his Test captaincy. That could open up the door for Rahul at the opening slot.

On the last tour to England, Rahul scored a century and a half-century, averaging 42.85 in eight innings, opening the batting with Rohit. Now, he could be moved up again. With Rohit Sharma struggling, Rahul opened the innings in Australia in eight innings with mixed results.

“It’s going to be a toss-up. It’ll be difficult. I don’t know how it’s going to work with these youngsters grabbing those positions at the top. It makes it harder to change things, which you don’t want to do too much when the team has a good combination and the top order is performing. But I’d love to see him score more international runs because he’s very capable of it. It’s been tough for him. Let’s see what they offer—if they give him that opportunity,” Chris Gayle said.