KL Rahul is all set to don the keeper’s gloves for India in the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion beginning on Tuesday.

A week ago, Rahul himself had spoken about being open to perform new roles and that he would be “happy” to do the wicketkeeper’s job in the Tests. On Sunday, after India’s training session, the confirmation came from head coach Rahul Dravid, who said Rahul was “keen on giving it (wicketkeeping in Tests) a go”.

“I see it as an exciting challenge, an opportunity for KL to certainly do something different. Obviously, with Ishan (Kishan) not being available, this opportunity came up. We had a couple of keepers to choose from and Rahul is one of them. We had discussed with him and he was very confident and keen on giving it a go,” Dravid said.

KS Bharat, who was called up in the Test squad due to Kishan’s absence, is the other choice as keeper-batter. But considering Bharat’s struggles as a batter in testing conditions and against quality fast bowling, the team management prefers Rahul for the job.

Also, the fact that Rahul has been India’s first-choice keeper even in the ODI format and managed to put in a decent show so far behind the stumps also instilled confidence in the team management.

Dravid also hinted there would not be much spin bowling in the first Test, which should make matters a tad easier for Rahul.

“We do understand keeping (in Tests) is not something he has done as often. But he has been doing it regularly in 50-over cricket and that takes a lot out of your body. He has also prepared well over the last five to six months and done a lot of keeping.

“This will be a new and exciting challenge for him. I guess there’s not going to be that much spin bowling, so that will ease him into the role a little bit,” Dravid said.

Rahul playing as keeper-batter also gives India the cushion of including an extra batsman, Dravid acknowledged. Both Rahul and Shreyas Iyer should now be able to feature in the XI, which may not have happened if Kishan was available.

There’s a forecast for rain at the Centurion in the first two days. Dravid though believes his team has both balance and depth in its bowling to counter all kinds of conditions.

“We need to see what’s in front of us. What’s up there in the sky and what’s down there (in the pitch will be known only on the match day.

“We have balance in the squad. So, if we want, we can play two spinners and three seamers, and maybe four seamers. We have that depth and balance,” Dravid stated.

A few bad sessions had cost India the Test series against the Proteas when they last toured South Africa in the 2021-22 season. Dravid emphasised the need to minimise damage in case India go through a bad session.

“The tracks here are result-oriented. If a bad session happens, you can be far behind in the game. The key thus is to minimise damage in case of a bad session, like you shouldn’t lose six to seven wickets.

Those extra 50-60 runs also have to be made because 20 wickets will fall for sure. So, the team that bats better will win.”