KL Rahul, an experienced Team India batsman, recently produced a magnificent century against New Zealand at Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium in the second one-dayer of the three-match series. Batting at No. 5, he hit 112* off 92 balls after the Kiwis won the toss and urged the Men in Blue to take first strike. Rahul’s 121-minute spell at the crease included 11 fours and a six.
India had a positive start in the match with opener Rohit Sharma (24 off 38) and captain Shubman Gill adding 70 from 12.2 overs. The hosts lost their way, though, by slipping to 118-4. Rahul, however, held the Men in Blue together to lead them to 284-7. His century went in vain as Daryl Mitchell (131* off 117) saw the Kiwis to a seven-wicket win.
And though Rahul’s positions in ODIs have varied around the order, he has batted at No. 5 on 33 occasions. Michael Bevan, Australia’s match-winner and finisher great, also batted at No. 5 in one-dayers as often. In this article, we look at the stats of Rahul and Bevan at No. 5 in ODIs.
1. Who has more runs and better average at No. 5 in ODIs: KL Rahul or Michael Bevan?
In 33 innings at No. 5 in ODIs, Rahul has 1,477 runs at an average of 64.21 with a strike rate of 99.59. Of his runs, 446 of them have come in nine innings against Australia at an average of 63.71. He has also scored 382 runs in six innings against NZ at an average of 127.33 and 148 runs from four innings against England at an average of 49.33.
Bevan batted 33 times at number five in ODIs and scored a total of 1,165 runs with an average of 41.60 and strike rate of 74.58. Of those runs, 347 against India came in seven innings at an average of 57.83 and 316 from eight innings against South Africa at an average of 39.50. Against New Zealand Radford had scored 146 runs in four innings, for an average of 36.50, but by the Aussie legend’s standards he was having a lean series.
2. KL Rahul vs Michael Bevan – Who has more 50-plus scores at No. 5 in ODIs?
KL Rahul has compiled 13 fifty-plus scores when batting at No. 5 in ODIs – three hundreds and ten fifties. His highest score so far, 112*, was against the Kiwis in Rajkot recently. The knock included 11 fours and one six. The 33-year-old had also slammed 112 off 113 balls against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui (February, 2020) and hit a swashbuckling knock of 102 off just 64 balls against Netherlands in Bengaluru during the World Cup in 2023.
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | SR | HS | 100s | 50s |
| KL Rahul | 36 | 33 | 1,477 | 64.21 | 99.59 | 112* | 3 | 10 |
| Michael Bevan | 39 | 33 | 1,165 | 41.60 | 74.58 | 103 | 2 | 5 |
Bevan scored seven 50-plus innings batting at No.5 in ODIs – two hundreds and five fifties. The left-hander made 103 off 95 balls against South Africa in Centurion (April 1997) and followed with 101* off 103 balls versus India in Sharjah (April 1998). In addition, Bevan had made 82 off 102 in Cape Town against the Proteas back in April 1997.
3. KL Rahul vs Michael Bevan – Who has a better record of wins at No. 5 in ODIs?
In 24 ODIs that India has won, with KL Rahul batting at No. 5, he aggregated 819 (average of 58.5) runs at a SR of 98.08 in addition to one hundred and five fifties. In losses, he has scored 658 runs in 12 ODIs at an average of 73.11 and strike rate of 101.54 including two hundreds and five half-centuries.
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | SR | HS | 100s | 50s |
| KL Rahul | 24 | 21 | 819 | 58.50 | 98.08 | 102 | 1 | 5 |
| Michael Bevan | 25 | 19 | 736 | 49.06 | 78.54 | 103 | 2 | 4 |
In 25 one-dayers – where the side won, Bevan had scored 736 runs at an average of 49.06 and a strike rate of 78.54 with two hundreds and four fifties. In 14 ODIs lost he had piled up 429 runs averaging 33 and striking at a rate of 68.64 with one fifty to his name.
4. KL Rahul vs Michael Bevan – Who is better at No. 5 in ODIs while chasing?
In 14 ODIs while chasing, Rahul has 448 runs at an average of 74.66 and a strike rate of 80.86 and includes four half-centuries. In 22 matches when batting first, he has scored 1,029 runs at an average and a strike rate of 60.52 and 110.76 respectively, with three hundreds and six fifties.
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | SR | HS | 100s | 50s |
| KL Rahul | 14 | 11 | 448 | 74.66 | 80.86 | 97* | 0 | 4 |
| Michael Bevan | 20 | 14 | 561 | 40.07 | 70.12 | 103 | 1 | 2 |
In the 20 chases Bevan had played before the final: 561 runs at an average of 40.07 and a strike rate of 70.12, one hundred and two fifties. For instance, in 19 ODIs while batting first, he had posted 604 runs at an average of 43.14 and strike rate of 79.26 with a century and three fifties to his name.
