'What more can I do?' - KL Rahul hits back at trolls after impressive knock vs Australia

India’s wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul addressed the debate around his batting position, specifying his adaptability in the middle order. Notably, Rahul played an unbeaten 42* off 34 balls and helped India secure victory against Australia in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, in Dubai, on (Tuesday) March 4.

The right-hand batter has been an important member of the ODI setup, particularly in the middle order. Since taking up the No. 5 role in 2020, he has batted brilliantly, averaging 61.52, better than any other player in that position with a minimum of 20 innings. Despite his performances, the debate around his ideal position keeps on coming up frequently, especially when the side experiments with their batting order. 

Ahead of the Champions Trophy, the Men in Blue adjusted to break the sequence of right-handed batters, promoting Axar Patel to No. 5, which pushed KL Rahul down to No. 6. Despite the change, Rahul has adapted and polished his finishing abilities. Following India’s semi-final victory, the batter addressed his role and the talk surrounding his batting position.

"Yeah, I do [enjoy batting at the top] - I mean, I won't lie. It's after opening the batting in Australia in Test matches [in the last series] and having to face that attack in Australia. And, you know, red-ball [cricket] is much harder. I opened the batting there and then to come here and bat low seems a bit different, but this is how I've played white-ball cricket in the last four-five years.

Had to take one chance an over, one boundary or one six: KL Rahul

Furthermore, KL Rahul also spoke regarding the speculations about his place in the XI. The 32-year-old revealed that he understands his role in the team and had batted the No. 6 position in the Sri Lanka tour in 2024. For the unversed, In the semi-final, Rahul walked in after Axar Patel’s dismissal, with the side needing 86 runs off 15 overs.

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir reveals reason for preferring KL Rahul over Rishabh Pant in India's Champions Trophy Playing XI 

When Virat Kohli (84) departed, Australia looked for an opportunity, but the Karnataka batter, alongside Hardik Pandya, got the job done for the side. He took calculated risks against Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis, and Adam Zampa, ensuring India reached the target comfortably.

"I'm quite used to going up and down the order, so I'm just happy getting a chance to play in the middle and whatever role is given, I think it's really helped me understand my game a lot more and I've had to work on boundary-hitting a lot more in the last year or so, because the last ODI we played in Sri Lanka I batted at No. 6, so I knew that's where I'll be batting and [we] needed a left-hander in the top order," Rahul concluded.