KL Rahul wicketkeeping in 1st ODI
KL Rahul wicketkeeping in 1st ODI. Image Credits: Twitter

The World Test Championship (WTC) Final is set to be played on June 7-11,2023 in England, between India and Australia. While in the recently conducted Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), India played KS Bharat as their wicketkeeper, without their regular gloves man Rishabh Pant.

Former cricketer, Wasim Jaffer has said that If KL Rahul is ready to keep wickets in the WTC final, he has to bat at the No.5 position, as Shubmann Gill and Rohit Sharma would be opening the innings.

KS Bharat
KS Bharat. Image Credits: Twitter

Whereas, Rahul in the first ODI against the Aussies on March 17 performed well with the bat and scored a crucial 75 not out to chase down the tricky target. After this inning, many fans thought this version of the star Indian batter can be used in the longer format of the game also.

“I like the thought of KL Rahul wicketkeeping in the World Test Championship final. Wicketkeeping in Tests is a lot different than in ODIs and he has had back issues in the past. But if Rahul is ready to don the gloves and he can play at No.5, then it will be a great option for India,” said Jaffer while speaking to Cricinfo, as quoted by Sportskeeda.

Meanwhile, former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels Indian Team should play KL Rahul ahead of KS Bharat in India’s World Test Championship against Australia in England. KL Rahul has been impressive for India in overseas conditions as he scored a century in Lord’s against England.

Besides, Shastri said it will interesting to see whether Indian management trusts him as a wicketkeeper to play ahead of Bharat.

“He has really done well to keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC final, Two things, one for the ODI series when Rohit Sharma returns and the other for the WTC final. India can bolster their batting if Rahul can keep wickets,” Shastri said.
Shastri further continued that the inclusion of KL Rahul can strengthen India’s middle order along with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer and he added Rahul can cement his place in India’s playing 11 with his performance in the ODI series against Australia followed by the all-important Indian Premier League.
“Rahul can bat in the middle-order No. 5 or No. 6. in England, you have to generally keep wickets from far behind. You don’t have to keep up with the spinners a lot. He has 3 more ODIs to go before the IPL. He can cement his place in that Indian team.”
Although in the IND VS AUS ODI series, The Men in Blue are leading the three-match series after winning the first ODI in Mumbai by 5 wickets. India would be looking to win the second ODI and clinch the series on Sunday (March 19). The hosts would definitely be bolstered by the return of their skipper Rohit Sharma who missed the first ODI due to family reasons.