India, June 19 -- India have already wrapped up the ODI series against Afghanistan with convincing victories in the opening two matches, giving the team management room to experiment ahead of bigger assignments. In the absence of senior stars Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, the selectors and coaching staff tested a few combinations, particularly in the batting order. Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill were both handed opportunities at No. 3 in Kohli's absence and made the most of them with encouraging performances.

One move that continued to attract attention, however, was KL Rahul's role in the lower middle order. Despite being an established top-order batter and a player who has often anchored India's innings across formats, ...