Head coach Rahul Dravid gives final decision on whether KL Rahul will keep wicket in England Test series or not

 

India vs England Test: KL Rahul will not play as a specialist wicketkeeper in the five-Test series against England. Team head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed this on Tuesday (January 23). This decision has been taken keeping in mind the circumstances and duration of the series. The first match of the series will be played from January 25 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.  

The Indian team selected by BCCI for the first two Tests has two wicketkeeping options, KS Bharat and young batsman Dhruv Jurel, who has been included in the Indian team for the first time. 

During the practice session at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Dravid said, “Rahul will not play as a wicketkeeper in this series, and we are clear about it in the selection itself. We have selected two other wicketkeepers in our team and obviously Rahul performed brilliantly for us in South Africa and played a big role in drawing the series. But keeping in mind the five-Test series and playing in these conditions, we will select from two other wicketkeepers.”

Bharat has played five test matches for Team India. Last year, Bharat also played as a wicketkeeper batsman in the final of the World Test Championship played against Australia at the Oval. In such a situation, his claim in the playing eleven is stronger. 

Let us tell you that due to personal reasons, Virat Kohli has withdrawn his name from the first two tests of the series. At present, no announcement has been made by BCCI regarding his replacement. In such a situation, it has to be seen that in the first test 

India's probable XI for the first test against England

Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.