NEW DELHI: Roaring back to form with a match-winning knock of 75 in the first ODI against Australia after a lean patch, KL Rahul created a massive impact and got the backing of former India coach Ravi Shastri, who feels the 30-year-old can play the World Test Championship Final as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
After a series of low scores which led to Rahul being axed from the Test team, the 30-year-old played a crucial knock in Friday’s ODI, guiding India to a five-wicket win.
Shastri felt that Rahul’s knock would keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC Final with the Test keeper-batter KS Bharat also underperforming with the bat in the recently concluded Test series.
Rahul has a good record in England but he was dropped from the playing XI after the first two Tests against Australia at home due to poor form.
“He (KL) has really done well to keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC final,” Shastri told Star Sports.
“Two things, one for the ODI series when Rohit Sharma returns and the other for the WTC final… India can bolster their batting if Rahul can keep wickets.
“Rahul can bat in the middle-order — No. 5 or 6. In England, you have to generally keep wickets from far behind. You don’t have to keep up to the spinners a lot. He (KL) has two more ODIs to go before the IPL. He can cement his place in that Indian team.”
Rahul has amassed 614 runs at 34.11 with two centuries — one at The Oval –, and one fifty in nine Tests in English conditions.
After a series of low scores which led to Rahul being axed from the Test team, the 30-year-old played a crucial knock in Friday’s ODI, guiding India to a five-wicket win.
Shastri felt that Rahul’s knock would keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC Final with the Test keeper-batter KS Bharat also underperforming with the bat in the recently concluded Test series.
Rahul has a good record in England but he was dropped from the playing XI after the first two Tests against Australia at home due to poor form.
“He (KL) has really done well to keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC final,” Shastri told Star Sports.
“Two things, one for the ODI series when Rohit Sharma returns and the other for the WTC final… India can bolster their batting if Rahul can keep wickets.
“Rahul can bat in the middle-order — No. 5 or 6. In England, you have to generally keep wickets from far behind. You don’t have to keep up to the spinners a lot. He (KL) has two more ODIs to go before the IPL. He can cement his place in that Indian team.”
Rahul has amassed 614 runs at 34.11 with two centuries — one at The Oval –, and one fifty in nine Tests in English conditions.
India qualified for the WTC final to be held in June at The Oval against Australia. It will be India’s second appearance in the final. They had lost to New Zealand in the 2021 final.
(With inputs from PTI)
