Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma have to select the playing XI for the first Test match against Bangladesh from the 16 members picked in the squad. The selection committee has done its job by picking the 16 best available options for the opening Test match in Chennai, but the captain and coach will have a headache—but a good one—to get the right XI.
There are some undisputed starters in the XI, at the same time, there are some positions where two players will be competing for a slot. In the middle-order, Sarfaraz Khan will battle it out with KL Rahul for a place at number 5 spot while Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant are the two wicketkeeping options.
Former BCCI chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth feels that Rahul should get a nod over Sarfaraz as he is a bigger player, and the same thing goes for Pant, who he thinks will play over Jurel as wicketkeeper.
“Honestly, I feel bad for Sarfaraz Khan. But, this happens, at times, in Test cricket. You would have been playing well but when a big player returns, you will have to lose your place. Take for instance, Rishabh Pant is returning because of which Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan are losing their places. KL Rahul is coming in,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
KL Rahul has performed well overseas: Srikkanth
The 1983 World Cup-winning star further feels that Rahul’s overseas record will also give him an edge over Sarfaraz, who has played just one series, that too at home against England earlier this year.
“At the back of the mind, they are also keeping the Australia series. New Zealand are also coming. KL Rahul has performed well overseas, in Australia he has done well,” added Srikkanth.
Rahul played 50 Tests for India and has been a crucial part of India’s red-ball set-up for the past few years. The team management would look to give him enough chances ahead of the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
On the other hand, Rishabh Pant is set to make his Test comeback after a horrific car crash in December 2022. He sustained serious knee and back injuries and was sidelined for 15 months.
The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has been impressed since his return to elite cricket last year and has kept up form across formats, including in the team’s T20 World Cup triumph in June.