India vs England: KL Rahul not to keep wickets during the series, says Rahul Dravid

KL Rahul will not be keeping wickets during the five-match Test during the five-match Test series between India and England that gets underway on 25 January in Hyderabad. Speaking ahead of the opening Test, India coach Rahul Dravid said KL Rahul will not don the gloves due to the length of the series and the warm conditions throughout. “Rahul will not be playing as a wicket-keeper in this series and we are clear about that in the selection itself. We have picked two other wicket-keepers and obviously Rahul did a fantastic job for us in South Africa and really played a big part in helping us draw the series,” he said in Hyderabad on Tuesday. “But considering five Test matches (against England) and playing in these conditions the selection will be between the two other keepers we have,” he added. With KL Rahul out of contention, it leaves two options for the Indian team to keep wickets - Dhruv Jurel and KS Bharat. Jurel has been handed a maiden Test call-up and has been rewarded for 790 runs in 15 First-Class matches at an average of 46.47 with a century and five fifties to his credit, besides 36 dismissals. The 23-year-old scored 0 and 69 runs when part of the India ‘A’ squad on tour of South Africa. Against England Lions in the first four-day match, he scored 50 runs. In the Ranji Trophy match sandwiched in between, he scored 63 runs for Uttar Pradesh against Kerala. 30-year-old KS Bharat is the other option for the Indian think tank. He served as Rishabh Pant’s understudy and stepped up when the Delhi player got injured. Bharat has been the designated wicketkeeper in 91 first-class matches, of which 82 have been played in India, while collecting 287 catches and 33 stumpings. His unbeaten 116 runs that helped India A draw the first unofficial ‘Test’ against England Lions might have boosted his stature in the eyes of the think-tank. On the surface, Dravid concurred with his England counterpart Brendon McCullum. The former India cricketer said, “It may spin a little bit.” On Monday, McCullum had said, “It looks like it’s going to spin. It may not turn right from the word go, but you’d think at some stage it will turn and I’m sure spin will be a huge factor throughout the series.” With spin being a big factor, wicketkeepers are required to stand up to the wickets, in this case R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, a role that should be assigned to a specialist stumper. KL Rahul, 31, has been a designated wicketkeeper only thrice in his 92 First-Class matches and none of those appearances came in India.