The Indian team has begun its preparations for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023, with the series against Bangladesh. While the rest of the Indian batting lineup looks settled, the wicketkeeper-batter position remains a concern. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have emerged as the two main options with Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan as the backups.
Sunil Gavaskar, a former India captain, has already delivered his verdict on the wicketkeeper’s role. Speaking to Sony Sports during the Bangladesh ODI series opener in Mirpur on Sunday, Gavaskar praised Rahul as an “all-rounder” and believes his presence in the lineup allows India to take an extra bowler.
“He (Rahul) has been batting for India at No.5 with Dhawan and Rohit Sharma opening the batting most of the time and Virat Kohli at No.3. He has been batting at No.5 for a while now. Maybe that is the position that he is looking to consolidate. What that does is it gives India the extra option. If you have somebody as a middle-order option who can keep wickets then you can look at taking another bowler. I call him an all-rounder because he can keep wickets, he can open the batting and can bat at No.5. KL Rahul is an all-rounder as far as I am concerned. And someone like him with the kind of experience he has and the range of shots he has, he is the kind of finisher you want at No.5 or 6,” Gavaskar said.
In Rahul’s absence from the game, Pant was India’s first-choice wicketkeeper for a while. Pant has scored 336 runs at 37.33 in 12 One-Day Internationals this year, including a century and three fifties. Rahul has only played eight One-Day Internationals this year, including the opener against Bangladesh on Sunday. He has scored 229 runs at 32.71 with two fifties this year. Meanwhile, Pant has withdrawn from the ODI series for medical reasons. However, the youngster will return for the Test series.
