‘Phir KS Bharat karega’ – Fans react as Rahul Dravid confirms KL Rahul will play as specialist batter in Tests against England

Rahul Dravid has confirmed that KL Rahul will bat as a middle-order batter in the Test series against England. The Indian coach added that Rahul would be a specialist batter in the Tests against England and confirmed that he would not keep wickets against England. The statement of Dravid came after he was asked to give his take on the wicketkeeping roles of the players.

KL Rahul kept the wickets for India in the series against South Africa. India toured SA last month and Rahul played at 6 as a WK batter. But given the challenge in the subcontinent conditions to keep against the spin bowlers, which is a different cup of tea, Dravid said that Rahul would not keep wickets in India. It points out a new keeper for India other than Rahul.

India will be playing without Virat Kohli in the first two matches of the series. In his absence, KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer might have to bat higher up the order. Hence, the decision of Dravid and the management might be right, considering that wicketkeeping would be difficult while batting a bit higher. Rahul is likely to bat at 4 in the absence of Kohli in the first two Tests.

The choice between KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel

With KL not keeping the wickets for India, the choice would be to pick one amongst KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel as the WK batters in the team. While Bharat kept wickets for India in the Test series against Australia and in the WTC final last year, there was criticism of the lack of runs from his blade. Bharat is still likely to keep the wickets in the first two Tests.

On the other hand, Dhruv Jurel has got his maiden call-up in Test cricket. The youngster would only be hoping for his opportunities. In the IPL 2203, the youngster proved his worth as a batter for Rajasthan Royals, where he was very useful as an impact player. Given the options in RR, Jurel did not keep the wickets in the IPL 2023.

Here’s how the fans reacted to the news –