Not KL Rahul, but this player set to keep wickets for India during five-match Test series against England

KL Rahul has been relieved from wicketkeeping responsibility in the upcoming five-match Test series against England as he will be playing purely as a batter.

SportsTak Desk

• Sun • 14 Jan 2024

India's star wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul in this frame. (Getty)

Highlights:

India included three wicketkeepers in their squad for Test series against England.

India will be playing a five-match Test series against England.

Star batter KL Rahul will not be the primary wicket-keeper for the Indian team for the upcoming home Test series against England. Instead KS Bharat, a specialist wicketkeeper, will assume regular wicket-keeping duties, allowing Rahul to focus on his role purely as a batter and fielder.

This decision comes as the Indian team plans to prepare spin-friendly pitches (turners) for the five-match Test series against England which is set to start from January 25. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s senior selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has selected the Indian Test squad for the first two matches, including two full-time wicketkeepers, Bharat and Dhruv Jurel.

As reported by Indian Express, team management has communicated to the selection committee that Rahul's role as a wicket-keeper in South Africa was specific to the pitch conditions there, which favored fast bowlers and often saw the ball being collected at waist height or higher. Consequently, the Indian team has informed the BCCI and the selection committee that Rahul will not be performing wicket-keeping duties in the upcoming series.

“The Indian team will once again be playing on a turner track, and the team management felt that specialist spinners should handle the job at home. The team has many quality spinners, and the team won’t take any chances, especially when the pitch being offered will be a turner,” a source in the BCCI informed.

Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan continued to be an absentee in India's squad after missing the Test series against South Africa followed by ongoing three-match T20I outing against Afghanistan. It will be interesting to see whether he can make it to India's squad for the remaining three Test against England.

India's squad first two Tests vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.

Notably, England have only won a Test series in India once since 1984, completing a 2-1 victory in late 2012.