India Will Miss Him – Saba Karim On KL Rahul’s Unavailability In The 5th India vs England Test

Jun 22, 2022 at 2:04 PM

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India Will Miss Him – Saba Karim On KL Rahul’s Unavailability In The 5th India vs England Test

Saba Karim believes KL Rahul’s absence for the upcoming fifth and final Test against England will be a huge blow to Team India. Indian opener KL Rahul is reportedly said to miss the upcoming tour to England as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) plans to send the Indian vice-captain to Germany for medical treatment.

KL Rahul was India’s second-highest run-scorer in the four Tests that were played last year. His 315 runs at a decent average of 39.37 were only behind fellow opener Rohit Sharma’s 368-run tally. KL Rahul hasn’t played for India since February and his last Test appearance was made in January against South Africa.

KL Rahul’s Karnataka and India teammate Mayank Agarwal could likely replace him in the Test squad for the rescheduled fifth Test, starting on July 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India is leading the five-match series 2-1 and the team has a great opportunity to win their first Test series in England since 2007.

KL Rahul (Image Credit: Twitter)
KL Rahul (Image Credit: Twitter)

Saba Karim: Indian Team Will Definitely Miss The Services Of KL Rahul

During a discussion, Saba Karim pointed out that KL Rahul’s unavailability will be a setback for Team India.

He reasoned: “Only one player is not available at the moment, that is KL Rahul. The way he had performed in the Test matches last year, the two Test matches India had won, KL Rahul had a huge contribution. So the Indian team will definitely miss him.”

Shubman Gill (Express photo: Jasbir Malhi)
Shubman Gill (Express photo: Jasbir Malhi)

However, the former Indian keeper-batter added that the Karnataka opener’s absence presents a massive opportunity for another opener Shubman Gill.

Saba Karim elaborated: “As per reports, Shubman Gill will get a chance instead of him. It is a huge opportunity for Shubman Gill. Shubman Gill will have a very important role because he is an attacking player, he is technically capable of batting here and scoring runs. It will be very good for us if Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have a good partnership.”

Shubman Gill missed out on the first four Tests of the series due to injury. The lanky batter has amassed 558 runs in the 10 Tests he has played for India to date, including 36 runs against New Zealand in the World Test Championship final, which is the only Test he has played in England to date.

Saba Karim: It Is A Huge Responsibility For Rohit Sharma

Saba Karim feels the onus will now be on skipper and opener Rohit Sharma to give the Indian innings a solid start.

He explained: “It is a huge responsibility for Rohit Sharma. He had given fantastic starts to India in the Test matches that were played last year. There will be similar expectations from him this time as well. It is extremely important in England, where conditions keep changing a lot, that if you get a good start, you can post a massive total.”

Saba Karim. – File photo of former wicketkeeper - The Hindu
Saba Karim. – File photo of former wicketkeeper – The Hindu

The 54-year-old also highlighted the bold calls Team India took last time around.

Saba Karim observed: “India played bold cricket last year, they batted first after winning the toss in tough conditions, very few teams go to the ground with that approach. Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma will have to pay attention to all these things.”

The Indian team will certainly hope that openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill give them a solid start. With most of their players heading into the game with not much long-format cricket behind them, how the openers tackle the new ball could decide the course of the match.

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