IND vs SA: It’s A Tough Decision But We’ll Start Having The Chat Probably Today Or Tomorrow – KL Rahul On No.5 Batting Conundrum

Indian opening batsman and vice-captain of the Test team for the upcoming tour of South Africa, KL Rahul talking about the No.5 batting position has said that it is tough to decide who will bat at that position in the series.

Ajinkya Rahane was dropped from vice-captaincy after his poor performance and questions have been raised over his place in the lineup after his poor performance with the bat for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, with the emergence of Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari, the change at the no.5 position in the Indian Test team is bound to happen.

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In a virtual press conference Rahul was questioned about the no.5 spot, to which he replied:

“It is a very difficult decision to make, obviously. Ajinkya has been a very important part of our Test team and he has played very crucial knocks in his career. In the last 15-18 months, if I can think back, his knock in Melbourne was really crucial and helped us win a Test match. That partnership with Pujara at Lord’s in the second innings, where he got a fifty, was really important. That ended up in us winning the Test match. So he has been a key player of us in that middle-order.”

KL Rahul lauded Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari for their recent performance and said:

“Shreyas, obviously, has taken his chances. He played a brilliant knock in Kanpur, got a hundred. So he is very excited and Hanuma (Vihari) has also done well for us. It’s a tough decision but we’ll start having the chat probably today or tomorrow. You’ll get to know in a couple of days’ time.”

Every Team Wants To Pick Up 20 Wickets. That’s The Only Way You Can Win A Test Match – KL Rahul

Several cricket experts and former Indian cricketers like Wasim Jaffer have suggested India field an extra batter and only 4 bowlers in the South Africa tour. It will be interesting to see whether skipper Kohli who likes playing 5 bowlers will make any changes in the lineup or not.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul has said that managing the workload of bowlers in the team becomes easier with 5 options available in the playing XI. He said:

“Every team wants to pick up 20 wickets. That’s the only way you can win a Test match. We have definitely used that tactic and it has helped us in every Test match that we have played away from India.”

“The workload also becomes slightly easier to manage with five bowlers. When you have that kind of quality, you might as well use it,” he added.

The India tour of South Africa is scheduled to begin from December 26 at the SuperSport Park, Centurion and India will play three Tests and three ODIs in the tour.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Not Easy For Ajinkya Rahane To Find A Place – Ashish Nehra Ahead Of Boxing Day Test

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