It is well known that the decision of selecting or dropping a player from the final XI rests on the shoulder of the captain and the team management. The Indian captain Virat Kohli has backed KL Rahul instead of Rishabh Pant in the final XI of the limited-overs format. In fact, Kohli’s decision to go with Rahul has been likened with Sourav Ganguly’s decision of handing Rahul Dravid the gloves before the 2003 World Cup.
Dravid had grabbed his opportunity with both hands and he took as a challenge. The former wicket-keeper batsman was able to stand tall to the challenge and deliver the goods for the team. Ganguly had then said that Dravid as keeper provided the perfect balance to their team. Similarly, Virat Kohli is backing KL Rahul as the first-choice keeper in the white-ball format.
Rahul has delivered the goods.
Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly cleared that backing KL Rahul as the first choice keeper is Kohli’s and team management’s decision.
“Virat Kohli takes that decision. The team management and captain decide the role of KL Rahul,” Ganguly told ABP News.
“He has played well in ODIs and T20Is. He started well in Test cricket but has gone down slightly. But in limited-overs cricket he has played really well and hope he continues all the good work but as I said, all these decisions are of the team management’s,” Ganguly added.
The BCCI President Sourav Ganguly also made it clear that the final call in the T20 World Cup will also be taken by Virat Kohli and Co.
Ganguly said, “The selectors, Virat and Ravi will decide that. Whatever they think, it’ll happen that way.”
Meanwhile, Rahul was able to grab his chance after Rishabh Pant was hit on the head by a bumper from Pat Cummins in the first ODI at Mumbai. Pant was ruled out of the second ODI and he was not selected in the third despite been fit as Rahul had scored a match-winning 52-ball 80 in the second match. Consequently, Indian captain, Virat Kohli made it clear the KL Rahul will be the first choice keeper in both the white-ball formats.
