India Squad WTC Final: KL Rahul could very well be India’s designated keeper when Rohit Sharma’s side faces off against Australia in the World Test Championship Final. The BCCI named their 15-man squad for the summit clash, with only KS Bharat as the designated wicketkeeper in the side. Should Rahul however impress with his keeping, he could however fill up the void opened by Rishabh Pant’s absence. Follow IND vs AUS WTC Final 2023 LIVE Updates on Insidesport.IN
During the Border Gavaskar Trophy, BCCI had named Ishan Kishan as backup with KS Bharat featuring in all four games. However, he failed to impress with bat in hand and his technique is questionable in seaming conditions in England. With Shubman Gill at the top, Rahul could make the middle order spot his own should he keep wickets. Bharat keeping is not ruled out, and a final decision will be taken by the team management.
“KL Rahul will be the 2nd keeper. Since it is a one-off Test, we felt there was no need of an extra keeper in the squad. Whether KL is ready to keep in Test is a decision the team management has to take. But at no point the idea is ruled out. We need the Best XI against England and if that means, handing over keeping duties to KL, it won’t be such a bad idea. But the decision has to be taken by the team management,” a senior BCCI official told Insidesport.IN.
India Squad WTC Final: KS Bharat or KL Rahul?
- KS Bharat is named the solitary keeper in India’s squad with KL Rahul as his backup.
- Bharat however struggled for runs in his debut series against Australia.
- His batting will come further into scrutiny in foreign conditions and the moving ball.
- Rahul meanwhile had a standout tour of England in 2021, scoring a century at Lord’s.
- He also has a hundred at the Oval, where India play Australia in the WTC Final.
With Rishabh Pant ruled out of 2023, India are struggling for ready-made keeping options. KS Bharat has served as an understudy for a while but wasn’t convincing enough in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. While there remain no complaints regarding his glovework, the team management isn’t convinced with his batting performances.
The selection committee has only named a solitary keeper in the squad for the WTC Final. Kl Rahul thus could very well be thrown into keeping wickets. The likes of former head coach Ravi Shastri have backed him to don the gloves for the WTC Final, and there remains a possibility he could do so.
With Ajinkya Rahane back, Rahul could join him in the middle order while keeping wickets. It massively strengthens their batting order, with KL being one of the stars of the previous England tours. Whether he can last 90 overs on the field keeping wickets is a question that remains, and the team management will be monitoring that development closely.
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