Team India is all set to take on England in a five-game Test series that is slated to begin on January 25. Both sides will face off at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, and with the first Test looming around the corner, there have been many discussions over who will be India’s wicketkeeper for the series against India.
With the squad including KL Rahul, KS Bharat, and Dhruv Jurel, there were many discussions over who would don the gloves for India against England. The side’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, came forward to put the matter to rest.
Opining that Rahul did a brilliant job wicketkeeping against South Africa, he will not be donning the gloves for the side against England. He opined that the selection will be between the two other options that the side has picked.
“KL Rahul will not play as wicketkeeper in Test series against England considering the conditions and duration of the series. We have picked two other wicket-keepers, and obviously Rahul did a fantastic job for us in South Africa and really played a big part in helping us draw the series. But considering five Test matches (against England) and playing in these conditions, the selection will be between the two other keepers we have,” Dravid said in the press conference.
A role that should be assigned to a specialist stumper: Dravid
Furthermore, Rahul Dravid explained the decision by revealing that the Indian pitches allow for more turn from the spinners, and the side wanted to opt for a specialist stumper for the England series.
“The nature of pitches in India makes it mandatory for a wicketkeeper to stand up to the wickets against spinners, in this case, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, a role that should be assigned to a specialist stumper,” Dravid said.
With Rahul not keeping the stumps, relieving him of the responsibility will help him focus solely on his batting and amass big runs for the Indian team against England.