Who Will Bat at No. 5 for India in ENG vs IND 1st ODI: KL Rahul or Washington Sundar?

After a humiliating T20I series win, the Indian Team enters the ODI leg of the India Tour of England 2026. The ENG vs IND 1st ODI is currently underway, where Harry Brook, winning the toss, elected to bat first and put India to chase the total. Both teams are playing this encounter with their full star-studded squads, with a mix of experienced and young players in respective sides.

Indian Team has an exceptional batting order, where the first 5 batters of the side are in the Top 15 of the ICC ODI Batting rankings. Indian side has always gone with fixed batting positions till No. 5, but when the Indian Team Sheet was exchanged, Washington Sundar's name was there at No. 5 instead of KL Rahul, the regular No. 5 batter. This made fans curious to know who would bat at this particular position.

Who Will Bat at No. 5 for India in ENG vs IND 1st ODI?

According to India's team sheet, Washington Sundar batting order was No. 5, replacing KL Rahul No. 5 batting position. If we go with the team sheet, Washington Sundar would likely be batting at No. 5, and KL Rahul will bat at No. 6, where this move will help Indian batting go deep where Shivam Dube batting after Rahul and can play an explosive knock.

However, as per the traditional batting order of India, KL Rahul, one of the best batsmen in India, should bat at No. 5, and fix the batting order going forward for the ICC World Cup 2027. If India goes with Sundar at No. 5, it would be just to try a new batting combination. It will be interesting to see who will be batting at No. 5, where chances are equal for both.

KL Rahul Performance at No. 5 vs No. 6 Batting Position in ODIs

KL Rahul No. 5 batting position has been a suitable and successful batting position for him, where he has scored around 1500+ runs in 35 innings at No. 5 at an average of 63+, including 3 centuries and 10 half-centuries. On the other hand, his stats at No. 6 are also not that bad, where he scored 300+ runs in 13 innings, including 1 half-century.