India vs England: KL Rahul relieved from Test wicketkeeping duties

INDORE: KL Rahul’s role as a wicketkeeper in Test cricket has lasted just one series against South Africa. TOI has learnt that the 31-year-old, who cracked a brilliant 101 against in the first Test against South Africa in Centurion, will play as a specialist batter in the five match home Test series against England, which begins with the first Test in Hyderabad on January 25.
When the Indian cricket board (BCCI) announced the team for the first two Tests against England at 10.40 pm on Friday night, a lot of people were surprised to find the names of three wicketkeeper batters in the 16-man squad — Rahul, KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel, who received his maiden India call-up.
Clearing the air on Rahul’s role, a reliable source in the BCCI said, “Rahul will play as a specialist batter from now on. While in overseas Tests you just have to stand back to the pacers, wicketkeeping in India, where spinners may operate in tandem, isn’t easy. The ball can bounce or turn viciously on the spin friendly home wickets. You’ve to keep moving up and down as a ’keeper. We want a specialist in that role.
“Rahul, on the other hand, is one of our most valuable batting assets. We don’t want to burn him out by making him do the glovework as well. There is also a risk of him catching an injury while standing behind the stumps, which we can’t afford. Bharat and Jurel will be our wicketkeepers in this series.” Rahul, incidentally, had undergone a thigh surgery in May last year.
This decision provides KS Bharat, who last played for India in the World Test Championship final against Australia at the Oval in June 2023 (he was out for 5 and 23) a golden opportunity to make a Test comeback. In five Tests, Bharat has made 129 runs @ 18.42.
Meanwhile Jurel, it is learnt, impressed selectors not only because of his impressive show for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL but some fine performances for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. In 15 first-class matches, Jurel has scored 790 runs @ 46.47, with one century and five fifties, with a top score of 249.

“Jureal is a talented ’keeper-bat. We’ve been tracking this 22-year-old since the time he was playing for the India Under-19 team,” the source said.
Selectors have also given a Test recall to chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who played the last of his eight Tests in December 2022 against Bangladesh in Chattogram. Kuldeep had taken 5/40 & 3/73, besides scoring 40 to be named as the ‘Player of the Match’ on that occasion but hasn’t played another Test since then.
The source revealed that ‘keeper-bat Ishan Kishan had asked for ‘leave’ during the South Africa tour. “He wasn’t considered for the England series as he is yet to tell the BCCI that he can be considered for selection again,” he said.