KL Rahul is set to play as a specialist batter in the middle-order during the series against England leaving the wicketkeeping gloves to either KS Bharat or rookie Dhruv Jurel. The first Test begins in Hyderabad on January 25.
The Telegraph understands that the decision to relieve Rahul of his dual responsibilities was taken during chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s discussions with head coach Rahul Dravid in Cape Town and was dealt with in detail during the selection committee meeting on Friday evening.
The selectors were hesitant on whether to include a wicketkeeper in the XI since it robs them of the option of playing an extra batter which often proves to be useful for the team. But Rahul’s keeping abilities haven’t been tested on spinning tracks against the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and the team management is not willing to take a risk.
Rahul kept wickets in both the Tests in South Africa but the challenges will be different on Indian wickets. Any lapses could prove to be disastrous and the selectors don’t wish to take any chances.
Moreover, it will allow Rahul to focus solely on his batting and avoid any fitness issues. He had undergone back surgery in May last year and had to miss almost five months of cricket.
Rahul struck a century in the opening Test in Centurion and was India’s second-highest run-getter in the series after Virat Kohli. Batting has been India’s strength in any home series and the think-tank doesn’t wish to sacrifice on that.
India will have to play with five batters in the circumstances and Shreyas Iyer may have to miss out. The option of going back to Rahul after the first two Tests remains if playing a specialist keeper doesn’t work in their favour.
While Bharat is the obvious choice having played all the Test matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last season at home, Jurel has already attracted a lot of attention because of his batting and keeping skills. The 22-year-old Uttar Pradesh player has featured in 15 first-class games, scoring at an average of 46.47.
Sticking to turning wickets means India will have to play with three spinners and two pacers unless they decide to include an extra batter and include only one fast bowler in the XI.
Shubman Gill’s place is also under scrutiny in the Test format after his run of poor scores. Since his century against Australia in Ahmedabad in March last, he
has got into the 30s only once. Iyer has a good record against spin, and if this trend continues, Gill could lose his place in the series.
Ishan Kishan, however, continues to be ignored. Dravid said recently that the youngster hasn’t informed about his availability after requesting for a break in South Africa and that he would have to prove himself in domestic cricket before making a return. While that is the standard norm for a cricketer making a comeback, it doesn’t seem to apply across the board.
Will the team management ask Mohammed Shami too to play a Ranji Trophy game and prove his fitness once he is available during the England series?
