Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has confirmed that KL Rahul will not keep wickets in the upcoming test series against England. The series kicks off on Thursday, January 25 with the first Test match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.
Ahead of the series, there have been many discussions over who will be India’s wicketkeeper for the series against India. Rahul Dravid provided some clarity confirming that KL Rahul will not be keeping wickets in the series. He expressed that the decision has been taken considering the playing conditions, and the number of test matches in the series. Speaking at the press conference before the series, Rahul Dravid said,
“KL Rahul will not play as wicketkeeper in the Test series against England considering the conditions and duration of the series. We have picked two other wicket-keepers. Obviously, Rahul did a fantastic job for us in South Africa and played a big part in helping us draw the series. But considering five Test matches (against England) and playing in these conditions, the selection will be between the two other keepers we have.”
The wicket-keeping role should be assigned to a specialist stumper: Rahul Dravid
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid further explained the decision expressing that the Indian conditions suit the spinners. He added that the conditions make it mandatory for a specialist wicketkeeper to be in the team. Rahul Dravid said,
“The nature of pitches in India makes it mandatory for a wicketkeeper to stand up to the wickets against spinners, in this case, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, a role that should be assigned to a specialist stumper.”
Apart from KL Rahul, Team India has two other wicket-keeping options KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel in the team. KS Bharat has the experience of playing at the International level. He has done well as a wicketkeeper and is likely to make it to the XI.
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