The Indian team will be featuring in the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the second time as they lock horns against Australia. The WTC final is scheduled to take place at the Oval in London from June 7-11. Rohit Sharma’s men clinched the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by 2-1 after the fourth Test ended in a draw.
Since Rishabh Pant was injured as he met with a horrific car crash, KS Bharat replaced him in the Test series against Australia. No offense to the young keeper/batter but it is difficult to say that he can fill Pant’s void in the team.
Former legend Sunil Gavaskar addressed the wicketkeeper issue and said India should think about playing KL Rahul as a keeper-batter in the WTC final.
"You can see KL Rahul as a wicketkeeper. If he bats at No.5 or 6 in at the Oval (in the WTC final) then our batting will be stronger. Because he batted really well in England last year. He scored a century at the Lord's. Keep KL Rahul in mind when you pick your XI for the WTC final," Gavaskar said during an interaction on Sports Tak.
KL Rahul was earlier rested from the team after not performing in the first two Tests against Australia. He was also removed from the vice-captaincy of the group.
Previously, skipper Rohit Sharma also spoke on KL Rahul’s vice-captaincy. He said, "All 17 players in the team has a chance. The team will back those who are talented. Stripping vice-captaincy doesn't mean anything big. He was made the vice-captain because maybe there was not many experienced players at that time. It is not a big thing”.
India will face Australia in the three-match ODI series, starting from Friday. The first ODI between India and Australia will be taking place in Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium.