“You had a guilty conscience that you don’t do justice with KL Rahul” – Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli batting at No. 3 in IND vs NZ 2024 1st Test

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra feels KL Rahul should have batted at number three in the first innings of the opening Test match against New Zealand at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Thursday after India was crumbled out for only 46. With Shubman Gill ruled out with a stiff neck, many experts thought that Rahul would have been an ideal choice for one down as he has the experience of facing the new red ball as an opener.

However, India decided to promote Virat Kohli to number three, but the former Indian captain was dismissed for a nine-ball duck after he received a snorter from William O’Rourke and was caught by Glenn Phillips at leg gully.

Rahul, on the other hand, batted at number six but he was also dismissed for a blob to an innocuous delivery down the leg side.

“You were trying to do justice with KL Rahul, that you told him No. 6, so he would go at No. 6. If you wanted to do justice with everyone, you could have put Sarfaraz at No. 3. However, you didn’t want to do that because you don’t have the confidence. When you see Sarfaraz playing, and I am not taking anything away from his game, you feel he is a middle-order batter,” Aakash Chopra said on Colors Cineplex.

“He plays at No. 5 or No. 6 for his Ranji Trophy team. Ideally, Rahul should have been there because he has opened previously and is best suited. However, you had a guilty conscience that you don’t do justice with KL Rahul, so you don’t want to trouble him once more. So his batting order would remain the same,” the former India opener added.

On the other hand, Chopra noted that Virat Kohli didn’t bat at number three even when he was leading the team.

“However, then Virat Kohli will ask the question, that he had earned the right (to bat at No. 4). It’s not that the No. 3 spot would have never opened up. Virat Kohli had even dropped (Cheteshwar) Pujara under his captaincy but he did not come at No. 3. He used to come at No. 4 then also,” he said.

“Opportunities came when he could have moved himself up but he hadn’t done that. You have done that today after 2016. So the question is there that you did justice with one but for the other, was it uncalled for or not? They will figure it out once they look back,” Chopra observed.

India registered their lowest Test score in home conditions and their third-ever lowest in Test cricket. New Zealand currently leads by 134 runs and has a huge advantage.