IND vs NZ 2026: 'People often ask why he is batting so low' - T20 World Cup winner dissects KL Rahul's batting position after 1st ODI

Irfan Pathan explained the rationale behind KL Rahul batting lower down the order in ODI cricket for India. On Sunday, January 11, Rahul played a composed innings of 29* off 21 balls to take India to a four-wicket win against New Zealand at the BCA Cricket Stadium in Vadodara.

Rahul batted at No. 6 and forged crucial partnerships with Harshit Rana and Washington Sundar as India tracked down a 301-run target with an over to spare. The Karnataka cricketer started his career as a top-order batter in the

Indian team in 50-over cricket. However, he has achieved much more success since moving down the order.

Explaining Rahul's batting position, Pathan referred to the rule change in the ODI format, which allows two new balls to be used till the 34th over, beyond which only one of the two is chosen by the fielding team for further usage till the end of the innings.

Pathan complimented Rahul for the way he rotated strike and finished the match in the 49th over to prevent the pressure from intensifying at the end.

"When KL Rahul bats, people often ask why he is batting so low. But we need to keep in mind that the rule has now changed because the ball reverses slightly after the 34th over. If the ball doesn’t reverse, it is slow. In those situations, a technically correct batter makes a difference. Other batters were getting slightly troubled in the first ODI but Rahul was well in control. Rahul showed what his approach was when he kept taking singles. It was predicted he would target the 49th over and sealed the game with two fours, followed by a six," Pathan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

'Most important knock of his career' - Irfan Pathan on Harshit Rana's innings

Pathan also lauded Harshit Rana, who contributed with a 23-ball 29 at the back end of the innings. His partnership of 37 runs off 31 balls with Rahul helped settle the nerves in the Indian dressing room. The former India all-rounder said that Rana played the most important innings of his career.

"Harshit Rana’s contribution was equally crucial. The way Rana has been batting and bowling, people should now realize that he is being picked based on his talent. This was the most important knock of his career. India might have found it difficult if that 37-run stand wouldn’t have come," Pathan mentioned.