The struggle for Team India to find a wicketkeeper-batter in Test cricket in the absence of Rishabh Pant might come to an end in the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa. The Indian team tried the likes of KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan in the past twelve months.
Now, KL Rahul is supposed to don the gloves in the series against South Africa. KL Rahul has never played as a wicketkeeper in Test cricket and it will be a whole new experience for the Indian vice-captain to don the gloves in whites.
However, former India opener Gautam Gambhir sees no ‘real challenge’ in KL Rahul’s new role in the upcoming series against South Africa and reveals the real challenge that Rahul will face in the future as a wicketkeeper. He feels that Rahul will not find it difficult to keep wickets in South Africa where there is enough bounce and the ball will carry to the wicket-keeper.
KS Bharat was the first-choice keeper for the Border-Gavaskar series earlier this year under being Pant’s backup. He also kept wickets in the World Test Championship final in June. However, Bharat failed to impress with the bat and was just average with the gloves, not getting a fifty during his run. Ishan Kishan was picked as the first-choice keeper for the Test series in West Indies. He impressed with both the bat and the gloves scoring a half-century in the series.
Ishan Kishan was included in the Test series against South Africa but later opted out of the series citing personal reasons. He has been replaced by KS Bharat in the squad but as of now, the backup option KL Rahul is promoted as the first-choice keeper given his prowess in batting which will provide stability in the squad in terms of batting.
Gautam Gambhir Reveals The Real Challenge For KL Rahul
Gautam Gambhir expressed his desire to see KL Rahul keeping in Indian conditions when the team faces England for a five-match Test series. Gambhir considers that KL Rahul’s ‘real challenge’ as the rank turners in India is the biggest challenge for a wicketkeeper. KS Bharat struggled in the Border-Gavaskar trophy which was played in India earlier this year. Even Rishabh Pant struggled early on when he started keeping wickets for India in Tests.
“I hope this is not a one-off situation because that would be unfair. His real challenge will not be wicketkeeping in South Africa, but on rank turners, in that five Test match series against England when Ashwin, Jadeja, and Axar will be bowling. No challenge is bigger than that.”
“If you are looking at these two Test matches, then I would rather not play him because I would look at long-term plans, and India don’t have a long-term plan right now because you only have KS Bharat and Rahul now. But probably it is the right way of going about things in allowing KL Rahul do the job until Rishabh Pant returns,” he said.
The two-match Test series against South Africa is the second assignment for India in the ongoing WTC Cycle. They defeated the West Indies earlier this year in July. Team India have qualified for the WTC finals for two consecutive cycles but have failed to win it. This time, India would be hoping to win the ICC World Test Championship Mace, and winning a series in South Africa will certainly help them on the table.
