India batter KL Rahul who made his wicketkeeping debut in the Test format in the series against South Africa, will not continue in the role in India’s 5-match series against England. India head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed the development, two days ahead of the first Test against England, which is going to be held in Hyderabad.
Rahul, who kept wickets for India throughout the ODI World Cup 2023 has been moved away from the role, keeping the duration of the series in mind as well as the demands of keeping in India against spin bowling. India probably do not want to risk the wicketkeeper who could turn out to be a major asset as a batter in the turning tracks of India.
Rahul Dravid spoke to the media ahead of the first Test match and said that the choice of not letting Rahul keep was obvious after the squad was announced which had KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel in the mix.
“Rahul will not be playing as a wicketkeeper in this series, and we are clear about that in the selection itself. We have picked two other wicketkeepers, 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 and playing in these conditions, the selection will be between the two other keepers we have,” Dravid said ahead of the Test match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Rahul has always been tentative in his secondary role as a wicketkeeper. Even for his Indian Premier League franchise, Rahul left the keeping duties to either among Quinton de Kock or Nicholas Pooran. Rahul was injured while fielding last year in the IPL and had to go through surgery to fix his issues. The cricketer spent several months in rehab and returned to the Indian team right ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023. Due to the absence of Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan in the side, KL Rahul kept wickets for India in the tournament.
The first Test match against England starts on January 25.
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