KL Rahul will not be keeping wickets in the first Test against England, says Dravid
In the five-match Test series against England, KL Rahul will not be keeping wickets, according to India’s head coach Rahul Dravid, with Dhruv Jurel and KS Bharat vying for the position of wicketkeeper-batter. Rahul was quite agile behind the stumps and had kept wickets in the last two-match series against South Africa. Here, on Thursday, the series versus England gets underway.
“Rahul will not be playing as a wicket-keeper in this series and we are clear about that in the selection itself. We have picked two other wicket-keepers and obviously Rahul did a fantastic job for us in South Africa and really played a big part in helping us draw the series,” Dravid said in a press conference here.
“But considering five Test matches (against England) and playing in these conditions the selection will be between the two other keepers we have,” he explained.
In his 92 First-Class matches, the 31-year-old Bengaluru player has only been named wicketkeeper three times, and none of those outings occurred in India.
Under those circumstances, the selection of Rahul as wicketkeeper against England may not have been a smart move by the team management, given that the ‘Bazball’ brand of cricket played by the visitors may limit the gloveman’s opportunities.
On the other hand, Bharat, who took over for Rishabh Pant when the actor was hurt in an automobile accident, has performed admirably in the part and has received praise frequently.
Despite his lackluster bat performance, Bharat’s contributions behind the stumps are as important. In 91 First-Class matches, 82 of which have taken place in India, he has recorded 287 catches and 33 stumpings.
For the series against England, Bharat will bat first and serve as wicketkeeper-batter because Jurel is still a little raw.
Perhaps he was elevated in the minds of think-tanks after his undefeated 116 enabled India A tie the maiden unofficial ‘Test’ against England Lions at Ahmedabad recently.
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