Team India cricketer KL Rahul donned the wicket-keeping gloves earlier this year when Rishabh Pant suffered an injury during the Australia series. He has done seemingly well behind the stumps so far. However, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes Rahul is still not the No. 1 wicket-keeping option for the Men in Blues.

With Rishabh Pant failing to score runs consistently, skipper Virat Kohli turned Rahul into a keeper to accommodate him in the playing XI. The dazzling batsman from Karnataka grabbed the opportunity with both hands knocking runs and doing a decent job with the gloves on. KL Rahul finished as one of the highest run-scorers in New Zealand.

MS Dhoni No. 1 wicket-keeper – Mohammad Kaif

While many former cricketers are hopeful that KL Rahul can be a good option but Mohammad Kaif doesn’t believe so. Echoing the lines of Parthiv Patel, Kaif stated that India are yet to find the replace of MS Dhoni, who hasn’t played any cricket since the World Cup last year. He has kept everyone in dilemma over his retirement speculations. Mohammad Kaif also added MS Dhoni is the No. 1 wicket-keeper of India.

“There has been no replacement. So many players have been tried in place of Dhoni. I don’t think KL Rahul is a long-term option. He should always be the back-up wicket-keeper, if a keeper gets injured then Rahul should keep wickets,” Kaif told Times of India.

“So you have to groom another keeper. Even Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson haven’t been able to take the place of Dhoni,” he added.