Axar Patel or KL Rahul - who should bat at number 5 for India in AUS vs IND 2025 ODIs?

KL Rahul and Axar Patel do not come across as batting partners, but they are now a serious pair, after spending considerable time out in the middle together, whether it be for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), or in the Team India setup. One's promotion, and the other's demotion have overlapped paths in the middle order, which has been a major talking point in the recent past.

Since Gautam Gambhir has taken over as head coach, KL Rahul has batted at No.5 only once in 11 matches. Axar Patel, on the other hand, has featured eight times in the same time frame, including the last four matches in a row.

The trend followed even in the series opener against Australia in Perth, as even during a time of crisis, with the scoreboard reading 25-3 in the ninth over, all-rounder Axar Patel was entrusted to handle the volatile situation over an in-form pure batter in KL Rahul.

Although the pair were the highest scorers during the innings by a fair margin, being the only ones to cross the 30-run mark, the decision to send Axar Patel over KL Rahul did not bode well among fans and pundits.

On that note, let us take a look at the factors to determine the right choice for the No.5 role for India between KL Rahul and Axar Patel for the remainder of the ODIs against Australia.

#1 Does left hand-right hand combination supersede logic?

Team India's adamance over the left-hand-right-hand combination did not come to the fore most when Axar Patel was sent in ahead of KL Rahul, but in fact, when Washington Sundar stepped out instead of Nitish Kumar Reddy with six overs remaining in the game. Despite having a vastly superior strike rate in white-ball cricket, and known hitting ability in the middle order, Reddy had to come out at No.8 on his debut in a rain-curtailed encounter.

Is KL Rahul's alignment to the right-hand side such a crippling factor and a deal breaker that he has to feature in the lower half of the playing XI time after time? For someone who reveres having a left-right combination at all times whenever possible, the answer will be yes, but for the rest, it will be no.

One would think that all of KL Rahul's experience and ability in alien conditions would overcome the fact that there might be two right-handed batters at the crease. While it should, since he averages 56.48 at No.5, the team management does not view it that way.

#2 The spin factor

The primary reason for Team India to embrace a left-right combination is their fear of being pinned down by spinners that can take the ball away from batters. Given that India played most of their ODI cricket in recent times in the subcontinent, whether it be Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), that theory at least has some foundation.

However, it should not be a non-negotiable tactic and a bona fide part of the game plan in Australia, where spinners are unlikely to feature from both ends. Even if they do, there is not enough turn in the surfaces to rattle the Indian batters who are well-adept at managing such threat levels of spin.

From the team management's point of view, since India does not have any right-handed batter in their top four, they view No.5 as the earliest feasible point where they can send in a left-handed batter to bring a little balance and unsettle the bowlers' rhythm. Another aspect is the fact that Australia have a wide array of bowlers that can take the ball away from the right-handers, namely the returning Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Cooper Connolly.

However, given that India have a batter like KL Rahul who is well accomplished against spinners of any kind, the fact that he is a right-handed batter should not be used against him. He has an average of 51.75 and a strike rate of 90.19 against wrist spin, and the numbers improve to 65.66 and 93.58 against left-arm spin. It is not a lack of ability or match-ups keeping KL Rahul at No.6, but just theoretical and irrational fear.

#3 Team India not maximizing resources by shunning KL Rahul in such conditions

It is natural to have your pure batters face as many balls as possible in conditions that are not necessarily your strongest suit. For a batter like KL Rahul to come in as low as No.6 when he has fared reasonably well in Australia (Average of 32.75 and strike rate of 106.50 in 4 matches), above Axar Patel, who had only scored one run in 4 matches in the country prior to the ongoing tour, makes little sense.

Granted, the all-rounder has improved tenfold since his last ODI in Australia (2015), but using him in a crucial batting spot, when there are other proven options available for such conditions available, is textbook overcomplicating straightforward fixes.

Team India have a rock-solid top four on paper. However, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli looking rusty on their return, Shubman Gill facing his first series as ODI captain, and Shreyas Iyer expected to face yet another short-ball battle, India need more solidity to the setup, and KL Rahul is the most secure candidate for the task, one which he cannot fulfill at No.6.

Conclusion: Both facts and numbers for the situation at hand dictate that KL Rahul play at No.5 as a potential backbone for a batting unit striving for rhythm. However, it won't be a massive surprise to see Axar Patel walk out at the fall of the third wicket, on the back of his track record, and the team's insistence to stick to their plans at all costs.