India, Feb. 6 -- India head coach Gautam Gambhir faced the wrath of the fans on social media after he promoted Axar Patel in the batting order, sending the all-rounder in at No. 5 ahead of KL Rahul in the ODI series opener against England in Nagpur on Thursday. However, captain Rohit Sharma and Axar revealed that it was a pre-planned move in India's four-wicket win at the VCA Stadium, which put the home team 1-0 ahead in the three-match contest.

Rahul has predominantly batted at No. 5 for India in ODI cricket. He impressed the team management during the 2023 ODI World Cup as well. While he was expected to walk in at No. 5 after the dismissal of Shreyas Iyer, India surprised England by sending left-handed Axar ahead of Rahul.

The move di...