A day prior to the start of the India vs England first Test in Hyderabad, coach Rahul Dravid had made it clear that KL Rahul won’t be keeping wickets. Thereafter, Rajat Patidar, who slammed a brilliant 151 against England Lions recently, was drafted in the team for the first two Tests, as a replacement for Virat Kohli.
While many are already speculating that Patidar might make his Test debut on Friday, that might not be the case, feels former India skipper Anil Kumble. In an interview with the Hindustan Times, Kumble said, that the team might still go for Shreyas Iyer, with KS Bharat for keeping duties.
“Certainly, he’s done well over the years. It’s wonderful to see a young player come back. In England Lions’ game, when the team was in trouble, he came in and scored a brilliant hundred. He’s been rewarded by the selectors as a replacement. But I doubt whether he will play tomorrow.
“My sense would be that Shreyas (Iyer), now the team management has clearly stated that (KL) Rahul will not be keeping wickets, I am assuming that it’ll be Shreyas at No. 4, then No. 5 would be KL Rahul, (at) No. 6 (KS) Bharat and then the all-rounders. So I feel that would be the approach,” Kumble said.
