On the fifth day of the fourth Test between India and Australia in Ahmedabad, New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka in a last-ball thriller in Christchurch. The outcome had a far-reaching impact. It eliminated Sri Lanka from contention and guaranteed India a place in the World Test Championship final, regardless of the outcome in Ahmedabad.
After the final Test ended in a draw, India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1. It didn’t take long for the focus and discussion to shift to the WTC final, which will be played on June 7 at the Oval in England against Australia. How will India prepare for the WTC final with two months of IPL between? What will the team’s personality be like?
The absence of India’s star players, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant will be one of their biggest concerns. Both have been out with injuries for a long time, and there is no indication that they will be able to return to cricket anytime soon. Bumrah’s absence from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy didn’t hurt as much because the spinners did the majority of the bowling, but it will be noticeable in English conditions.
Same for Pant, During the four Tests against Australia, he was sorely missed as both a batter and keeper. KS Bharat failed to impress with the bat, and his fielding also lacked confidence in the face of a turning ball. The pitch in the WTC final is unlikely to favour spinners, which will shift attention back to Bharat’s batting. Pant has been one of India’s most consistent batters in Test cricket abroad, scoring his maiden century at the same venue during the 2018 England tour.
Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian cricketer, believes KL Rahul should be considered as a keeper-batter for the WTC final solely for his batting abilities.
“KL Rahul could be a wicketkeeper. If he bats at No.5 or No.6 in the WTC final at the Oval, our batting will be stronger. Because he performed admirably in England last year. At Lord’s, he hit a century. Keep KL Rahul in mind as you select your team for the WTC final “Gavaskar stated to Sports Tak.
After the first two Tests of the Australia series, Rahul was stripped of his vice-captaincy and dropped from the XI. In his last ten Test innings, he failed to score more than 30 runs. Having said that, he is India’s first-choice keeper in one-day internationals and has a proven track record in English conditions. It was his performance during India’s last tour of England that helped him reclaim his place in the Test team.
In response to Dinesh Karthik’s comments about Bharat’s issues as a keeper, Gavaskar stated that selecting Rahul for just one Test will provide more depth to the Indian batting unit.
