Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh opined that India should continue with KL Rahul at no.5. Notable that the team management surprised everyone in the second ODI against West Indies as they sent Rishabh Pant to open the innings with Rohit Sharma despite KL Rahul being there in the XI.

In the first match, India tried Ishan Kishan at the top of the order when Rahul wasn’t available for the selection. In the post-match presentation, captain Rohit Sharma stated that the opening with Pant was just for one match as they wanted to try something new and Dhawan is likely to come back for the 3rd ODI.

Talking to Star Sports about India’s middle-order woes, Harbhajan Singh said that India should stick with Rahul as he has the class and temperament to play those crucial overs. Also, he plays spin and pace equally well.

“He [Rahul] is a complete player and I have no second thoughts that Team India do not have a bigger player than him at No. 5 or No. 6 at the moment. I feel he should be regularly played at this position,” Harbhajan Singh spoke to Star Sports.

Harbhajan Singh poses for a photograph ahead of a practice session © AFP — Harbhajan Singh © AFP

KL had decent success in the middle order as he scored 673 runs in 17 innings with an average of 51.76 which included 2 hundreds and 4 fifties. Harbhajan Singh believes that it’s a blessing and disguise that he doesn’t open the innings.

“If Rahul doesn’t open and bats in the middle order, it is a great sign for Team India because he is such an experienced player, he plays spin very well. If he plays the last ten overs, there won’t be a better striker than him. I feel it is a blessing in disguise that he is not getting a chance to bat at the top of the order. Rishabh Pant or Shikhar Dhawan, once he comes back, should be part of the opening pair,” Harbhajan Singh added.

“He [Rahul] should come in the middle order and if he bats with Surya there, I feel he will score a lot of runs. He plays excellent drives and along with that uses his feet very well, uses the crease to go back, pulls the ball if it is slightly short, has a very good cut shot, plays the ball late,” elaborated Harbhajan.

Also, read RCB Would Definitely Target Ishan Kishan In The Auction – Harbhajan Singh

Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer will be available for the selection in the 3rd ODI, it will be interesting to see what combination Indian team management would pick.

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