Former India coach Ravi Shastri has suggested that India must include KL Rahul in the XI for the WTC final against Australia. With Rishabh Pant out recovering from the injury he sustained following the road accident last year and KS Bharat underperforming with the bat, Shastri thinks bringing Rahul to bat in the middle order and keep wickets will only bolster team’s chances of doing well in the one-off final.
After India’s five-wicket win over Australia in the first ODI in Mumbai on Friday, in which KL Rahul starred with the bat hitting an unbeaten 75, Shastri feels Rahul’s maturity to handle pressure and ability to keep wickets will keep the selectors interested.
“He (KL) has really done well to keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC final,” Shastri told Star Sports after India’s win in 1st ODI.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul faced a contrasting fate during the Border-Gavaskar series as he got dropped after three successive failures during the first two Tests. His chances of now returning to the top look bleak given Shubman Gill has grabbed the opportunity with both hands. On the flip side, Shreyas Iyer’s history with prolonged back injury would keep the selectors thinking before naming the final squad as well.
As Rohit Sharma will replace Ishan Kishan in the XI for the remaining two ODIs, and in that scenario, Rahul will continue keeping wickets; Shastri feels why couldn’t the same formula be applied during the WTC final as well.
“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 said.
Elaborating on how Rahul can tick both boxes in the final against Australia, Shastri said,
“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 with the spinners a lot. He (KL) has two more ODIs to go before the IPL. He can cement his place in that Indian team,” the former India coach added.
India will now face Australia in the second ODI in Vizag on March 19th, Sunday.
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