SA v IND: Dravid backs ‘white-ball gloveman’ KL Rahul to keep wickets in South Africa Tests

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Makeshift gloveman KL Rahul might be the first-choice keeper in the two-match Test series against South Africa starting in Centurion on Boxing Day. Head coach Rahul Dravid addressed the elephant in the room ahead of the first match, saying considering how well he did wicketkeeping duties in white-ball cricket this year, KL is confident of transferring that momentum into Tests. 

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Speaking to the media on Sunday, Dravid said KL is keen on embracing this new challenge, and upon a lengthy discussion with him, he feels KL Rahul has what it takes to keep wickets in the red-ball format. 

In the absence of regular Ishan Kishan, who pulled out at the last minute due to mental fatigue, Rahul is the frontrunner to fill that void.

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I see it as an exciting challenge and an opportunity for him to certainly do something different,” Dravid said. 

“With Ishan [Kishan] not being available, the opportunity came up. We have a couple of keepers we can choose from. Rahul is certainly one. We have had this discussion with him, we’ve discussed this with him.

“You know, he is very confident, he is very keen on giving it a go. We do understand that it’s probably something he has not done as often. He has been doing it regularly in 50-over cricket. So that’s certainly tough, you know, to play 50 overs and then bat as well in a full day. That can take a lot out of your body,” the head coach added. 

Challenge is to see how KL comes out of it

Although keeping wickets in white-ball cricket is quite different from that in Tests, Dravid feels having the extra option in KL Rahul is always a plus for the team. Rahul admitted he is keen on bestowing this new opportunity on KL to see how he comes out of it.

“It’s something that we will see how it goes and how it pans out, but it’s really nice to have someone like him and the options that he provides us. Just having his ability with the bat would be something that would be really useful. 

“And let’s see how he goes with the gloves. I mean, he has kept really well in one-day cricket. So just a question of now transferring that into red-ball cricket for longer,” Dravid added.

Meanwhile, regular captain Rohit Sharma, batter Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah will return to competitive cricket for the first time since the 2023 World Cup final.

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