‘He has really done well to keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC final’ - Ravi Shastri picks keeper-batter ahead of Bharat for WTC final

Team India defeated Australia by 2-1 in the four-match series and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India also secured their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia which will commence from June 7, at The Oval in London.

As Rohit Sharma-led India head into the WTC final for the second time, the selection of players has become a crucial matter of discussion among cricket experts. Notably, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will be a major missing for Team India. 

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels KL Rahul can play as a wicket-keeper in the WTC final. His opinion came after, KS Bharat could not perform well in the four-match series in the absence of Pant.

“He (KL) has really done well to keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC final. 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,” Shastri told Star Sports.

“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,” he added.

KL Rahul played a match-winning knock for India in the first ODI against Australia

Rahul has an excellent batting record in the longest format of the game on English soil. The 30-year-old has scored 614 runs at 34.11 with two centuries. Notably, KL Rahul was dropped from the playing XI after his poor performance in the first two Tests against Australia at home.

On Friday, March 17, the Karnataka cricketer made an impressive comeback with a match-winning performance in the first ODI against Australia, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He scored an unbeaten 75 off 91 deliveries which consisted of one maximum and seven boundaries, respectively.

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