Recent times have seen India in a familiar predicament: they are unable to identify a consistent wicketkeeper. KL Rahul will be wearing gloves for the first time in his Test career as the visiting team prepares for the pivotal South Africa Test series, with Rishabh Pant still recuperating from the horrible vehicle tragedy that occurred in December.
While players like KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan have been given more responsibility over the last 12 months, the team is still uncertain as a result of their lack of reliable performances. However, ex-cricketer Gautam Gambhir does not believe that Rahul will face a difficult battle in South Africa, calling the circumstances “unfair” in his characteristic raw manner.
It would be unfair if this were an isolated incident; therefore, I hope it’s not. When Ashwin, Jadeja, and Axar bowl in that five-match Test match series against England, his true test will not be keeping wickets in South Africa but rather turning over wickets. There is no greater challenge than that, Gambhir stated to Star Sports.
With Bharat emerging as Pant’s backup during the Border-Gavaskar series earlier this year, the twists and turns of India’s wicketkeeping narrative continued to unfold. Though Bharat was in the team, Kishan was the first-choice keeper in the West Indies series later that year, where he was excellent with the bat and the gloves.
KL Rahul has been promoted to the backup role, while Bharat has been elevated to the primary after Kishan decided not to play in the South Africa tour for “personal reasons.”.
Gambhir emphasized that India’s Test team does not have a long-term strategy for maintaining wickets as Rohit Sharma and company prepare for the South Africa series. Up until Pant’s return in 2024, he thought Rahul’s temporary assignment was a sensible choice.
“If these two Test matches are all that matter to you, then I would prefer not to play him. Long-term plans are what matter, and at the moment, India has neither because you have Rahul nor KS Bharat. In any case, letting KL Rahul handle things till Rishabh Pant gets back is perhaps the best course of action, Gambhir explained.
Their second assignment in the new World Test Championship cycle is a series against South Africa, following a comprehensive tour of the West Indies in August.
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