The Indian team management has come under fire from former captain Kris Srikkanth for starting KL Rahul at number six in the third ODI against England at Lord's. India lost the game by 27 runs while chasing the 388-run target, and they also lost the three-match series 2-1.

The choice to move Rahul down the batting order was questioned by Srikkanth on his YouTube channel.

"Will anyone send KL Rahul at No. 6 when chasing such a huge total? That guy has won for you so much in tough run-chases. Is Rahul a no. 6 or 7 batter? This is a gross injustice. His body language also looked like someone nervous,” Srikkanth said on the YouTube channel.

He made 12 runs in 8 balls before he was bowled by Jofra Archer. Additionally, Srikkanth contrasted Rahul's predicament with the previous treatment of Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

"Just like you screwed up Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, now you are screwing up KL Rahul. India needed someone to do the Jos Buttler role (the Englishman hit a 13-ball 41 in the first innings). That's where Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer got out right away.

But if Rahul had gone in at No. 4, he would have complemented Virat Kohli like they did a few times in the 2023 World Cup. Rahul is capable of accelerating easily. Instead, they sent him out to bat when the match was over. How was he possibly going to win the game needing 15 per over with Axar Patel?" Srikkanth said.

Rahul played only two ODIs in the series, scoring one run in the first ODI and then making 12 in the third match.

India’s tour of the UK proved nothing but embarrassing: they lost 0-2 to Ireland in the T20I series, then 0-4 to England in the T20I series, and now 1-2 in the ODI series.

India would want to get back in form when they face Zimbabwe in the three-match T20I series later this month.