It’s an opportunity for him to do something different: Rahul Dravid on KL Rahul’s wicketkeeping duties in 1st Test vs South Africa

With KL Rahul set to keep in the upcoming Boxing Day Test for India, his first full wicketkeeping assignment in the national side, coach Rahul Dravid put his weight behind the player saying it will be a new and exciting challenge.

“It’s an exciting challenge and it’s an opportunity for him to certainly do something different. Obviously with Ishan (Kishan) not being available, the opportunity came up. We have a couple of keepers we can choose from. Rahul is certainly one. We have had this discussion with him and he’s very confident. He’s very keen on giving it a go,” Dravid said in a press conference on Sunday.

“We do understand that it’s not probably something he has done as often. He’s been doing it regularly in 50-over cricket. So, that’s certainly tough to play 50 overs and then bat the full day. That can take a lot out of your body. He has prepared well. Over the last 5-6 months he has done a lot of keeping, even though it’s in the white ball format. But this will be a new and exciting challenge for him as well,” he added.

“I guess one other thing here is that there’s not going to be that much of spin bowling. Probably more pace bowling here than spin so it will ease him into that role a little bit. We’ll see how it pans out but it’s nice for us to have someone like him and the options that he provides us. His ability with the bat will be something that is really useful and let’s see how it goes with the gloves. He’s kept really well in One Day Cricket. It’s just a question of transferring that to red ball cricket,” the 50-year-old said.

This will be the first time Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and most of the senior players will be turning up for the country after the heartbreaking loss to Australia in the World Cup final earlier this month but Dravid said that they have moved on.

“It’s happened in the past, yes it’s disappointing, but we have moved on from it. Now you have got something ahead of you. Players are good at that. We are forced to do that, we learn how to do that from the time we are kids. Every time you get out, you are disappointed, you have another innings to play, you have to perform in the next innings, so you can’t let the disappointment of the past stay with you. As cricketers, you learn how to deal with that, from the time you are kids. If you let the disappointment in the past stay with you, it will affect you in the next game,” he said.

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