KS Bharat, not KL Rahul to keep wickets during India-England home Test series

KL Rahul won’t be the first choice as the Indian team wicket-keeper going ahead during the India vs England Test series at home. Instead, specialist wicket-keeper KS Bharat will be doing the regular job and Rahul will be back on the field as a batsman and fielder.

The reason is that the Indian team will once again prepare a turner for the visiting England team for their five-match Test series at home. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, picked the Indian team test squad for the first two Test matches and have chosen two full-time wicket-keepers, Bharat and Dhruv Jurel.

The Indian Express understands that the team management has made it clear to the selection committee that Rahul was asked to keep wickets in South Africa due to the bounce in the pitch. The fast bowlers came into play during the two Test match series against South Africa, and most of the time, the ball was collected over waist height. As a result, the Indian team has informed the BCCI and selection committee that Rahul won’t keep wickets.

“The Indian team will once again be playing on a turner track, and the team management felt that specialist spinners should handle the job at home. The team has many quality spinners, and the team won’t take any chances, especially when the pitch being offered will be a turner,” a source in the BCCI informed.

The national selection committee has picked four spinners – R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav – and they will be seen in action.

Fast bowlers to be rotated

The Indian team management has decided to rotate its fast bowlers during the five-match Test series. The team management has already decided that no fast bowlers will be playing all five Test matches, and instead, they will be given rest as per workload management. The first two Test matches will see Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mukesh Kumar, and Avesh Khan. There is no clarity at the moment on whether Mohd Shami will be playing Test matches ahead, as the pacer hasn’t resumed bowling yet.

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