Team India cricketer KL Rahul won't be keeping wickets during the upcoming five-match Test series against England January 25, confirmed coach Rahul Dravid.
KS Bharat most likely to keep wickets
This means that either KS Bharat or Dhruv Jurel will be the designated wicketkeeper with Rahul playing as a specialist middle-order batter for the team.
Bharat is the frontrunner to play ahead of the uncapped Jurel due to his recent form with the bat and his experience of playing 5 Tests before.
"Kl Rahul will not play as wicketkeeper in Test series against England considering the conditions and duration of the series," Dravid told reporters on Tuesday.
Rahul needed more as a batter than wicketkeeper
Rahul kept wickets in both the Tests in South Africa and scored a hundred in the series opener but still ended up on the losing side in Centurion.
The South Africa series lasted just 9 days but the assignment against England will consist of 45 days of cricket if all the Tests go the distance, which is why Rahul will won't be given the added responsibility of keeping wickets along with his batting.
Rahul has been a frequently wicketkeeping in white-ball cricket so that India can play an extra batter or a bowler in their XI but the South Africa tour was the first time that he did the job behind the stumps in Test matches.
KS Bharat's recent form
His likely replacement, KS Bharat, showed tremendous form against England Lions in the tour match and the 1st unofficial Test he played for India A in Ahmedabad, where he registered scores of 64, 15 and 116 (not out).
The 30-year-old last played for India in the WTC Final against Australia in June last year but had a below-average outing with the bat which is why he lost his place to Rahul, who made a comeback in the Test team in South Africa.
