"Rohit Sharma has made it very clear" - Mohammad Kaif on choosing between Ishan Kishan-Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul-Shubman Gill combos

Mohammad Kaif believes KL Rahul and Shubman Gill playing ahead of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in ODI cricket is a clear reflection of Rohit Sharma's thought process.

Rahul and Gill were preferred over the two Mumbai Indians (MI) players in India's playing XI for the first two ODIs of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka. This was despite Kishan coming into the series on the back of an explosive double-century against Bangladesh and Suryakumar's stupendous form in T20I cricket.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Match Point', Kaif was asked to choose between Rahul-Gill and Kishan-Suryakumar combos, to which he responded:

"It's a really tough one - Ishan + Surya or KL + Gill. I think Rohit Sharma has made it very clear as a captain. The boys have been playing for the last couple of years, they have been getting runs. Last year Gill and KL Rahul played well."

The former Indian batter highlighted that Gill and Rahul have excelled in their respective positions lately, elaborating:

"Shubman Gill is opening the innings and getting runs and KL Rahul is finishing the innings, the way he did in the last game - fantastic. What I like about Rohit Sharma is that he is very clear in his thoughts."

Kaif praised Rohit for resisting the temptation to play the more aggressive duo of Kishan and Suryakumar, saying:

"He (Rohit) is not going flashy. Ishan Kishan and Surya will tempt you because they are fantastic players but he knows that he needs to give his players a long run, that's why Gill and KL are playing."

Both Gill and Rahul justified Rohit's decision to play them ahead of Kishan and Suryakumar in the first two ODIs. While the Punjab opener scored a pleasing 70 in the first game, the Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter played a match-winning unbeaten 64-run knock in the second match.

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"India needs him at No. 5" - Sanjay Manjrekar on whether KL Rahul's better-suited batting position

KL Rahul has stood out at the No. 5 position in ODI cricket. [P/C: BCCI]

Sanjay Manjrekar was asked whether Rahul is better suited to No. 5 in ODIs rather than opening the batting, to which he replied:

"He is a phenomenal player and it's amazing that he has got a great record opening as well as at No. 5. Look at the average - pretty similar. For the moment, India needs him at No. 5 because of the kind of balance that we have, but I can't say that he is better at No. 5 and not so much as an opener."

Rahul has amassed 651 runs at an excellent average of 54.25 in the 15 ODI innings he has played at No. 5. On the other hand, the 30-year-old has aggregated 915 runs at a decent average of 43.57 in 23 innings as an opener.