After Rishabh Pant had a concussion in the first ODI, Rahul took up the responsibility of wicket-keeping and put on a decent show behind the stumps. In the second ODI, he was slotted in at number five as Virat Kohli decided to bat at his original number three position. Yet, he managed to carry forward the momentum given by the skipper and smashed a quickfire 80 which helped India put 340 on the board. Rahul’s innings proved to be the difference in the end as India beat Australia by 36 runs to stay alive in the series.
In the third ODI, India persisted with Rahul in the middle-order even though Rishabh Pant was fit and available for selection. But an injury to Shikhar Dhawan meant that he had to open the innings. Though on the outset it felt like Rahul was versatile enough to do whatever the team asked of him, Gambhir questioned whether he was put under pressure and asked to bat at different positions.
He also did not understand the kind of message that must have been sent out to Pant because he was out of the starting eleven due to a concussion and not due to poor form. With skipper Virat Kohli confirming that the team would like to persist with Rahul, Gambhir felt that it was unfair for Pant.
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