Former Australian cricket team fast bowler Glenn McGrath expressed surprise at KL Rahul constantly being asked to change his batting position for India. In the recent past, India have utilised Rahul in different batting positions and he also keeps wickets for the national side in ODIs. In the first ODI encounter in Perth, Rahul top-scored for India with a 31-ball 38 while batting at No. 6. While Rahul batted at No. 6 on multiple occasions during the Champions Trophy 2025, he is currently the opening batter for India in Tests. McGrath praised Rahul as a versatile player but said that such changes can mess one's confidence.
"They've sort of moved him around. I think he's nearly batted at all 11 positions at some stage. It must be tough for him to adapt. But he's one of those versatile players. He top-scored for India in fairly tough conditions. So from opening down to I am not sure how low he has batted. Sometimes that can mess your confidence up but I think for him, maybe he's just used to it and just adapts. He keeps as well, so he's a very versatile player," McGrath said on the Fast Bowling Cartel YouTube channel.
McGrath also said that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's lack of match practice was exposed in Perth. While Rohit scored just 8, Virat was dismissed by Mitchell Starc for a duck. It was the first time that both stalwarts played international cricket since the Champions Trophy final.
"There was a lot of talk going into the match about the two greats, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They've not had a lot of cricket under their belt. And I think they got found out a little bit on a pitch that has got a Little bit more pace and a lot more bounce than what they're used to back in India," he said.