3 reasons why KL Rahul should be India's wicket-keeper in the 1st Test vs South Africa
The much-anticipated Test series between India and South Africa is almost upon us. The two-match series is scheduled to kickstart on Tuesday, December 26, with the SuperSport Park in Centurion hosting the first Test.
India, who have never won a Test series in South Africa, will be looking at this as a historic opportunity to break the jinx. In a total of 23 Test matches in the Rainbow Nation, India have found wins hard to come by. There have been only four Test wins for India across a span of 30 years.
However, the upcoming series will give them a golden chance to break the hoodoo as India possesses a strong unit, including the likes of experienced batters who know how to grind out in tough situations.
One such batter is none other than KL Rahul, who is likely to play as a frontline wicket-keeper. Alongside KS Bharat, Rahul is the only keeper in the Indian squad and is touted to feature in the first Test as a wicket-keeper batter.
It is interesting to note that in the 90 first-class matches played by Rahul, he has never played any of those matches as a designated wicket-keeper.
While there have been enough talks surrounding Rahul's situation, we take a look at the strong reasons why he should be India's wicket-keeper in the first Test against South Africa in Centurion.
#1 He has been superb behind the stumps recently
While he hasn't kept wickets for India in red-ball cricket, his keeping in ODIs has seen a meteoric rise. After a lengthy injury break, he made a return at the Asia Cup 2023. Rahul donned the wicket-keeper's role and was brilliant behind the stumps.
His keeping against both pace and spin was solid, giving him enough confidence to do the same in Tests as well.
Even in the ODI World Cup 2023, he showed great glove work and took some great catches, including a flying stunner in a game against Bangladesh. He also won the much-celebrated fielding medal, given by the Indian fielding coach, twice (the joint-most times).
#2 He has the experience of playing in South Africa
![KL Rahul has scored a century in South Africa [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/12/ae664-17035582606088-1920.jpg)
Playing Test cricket in South Africa poses a different challenge altogether for the batters. With its uneven bounce and unwavering swing movement, it is one of the most difficult places to make runs.
However, a player with experience playing in those conditions always helps. That's where KL Rahul's role will be important for Team India.
The 31-year-old has played five Test matches in South Africa and has scored 256 runs at an average of 25.60.
Moreover, the last time India toured South Africa in 2021/22, Rahul played one of his best red-ball knocks of all time when he hammered 123 runs while batting first. His masterful century helped India win the encounter by 113 runs in Centurion.
He was also India's highest run-getter in the series with 226 runs after three Tests.
#3 He has been in solid batting form of late
While he has played as a specialist wicketkeeper in white-ball cricket for some time, it has not affected his batting at all. He has been hungrier than ever and has been racking up runs at will for some time now.
In the Asia Cup 2023, he averaged 84.50 and made 169 runs in three innings before becoming the Indian wicket-keeper with the most runs in a single edition of an ODI World Cup.
The Karnataka-born lad, who slotted into the middle order, amassed 452 runs at an immaculate average of 75.33 across ten innings for India at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
In total, Rahul has scored 1,098 runs at an average of almost 58 in all three formats for India so far this year. The numbers purely show that Team India cannot miss the batter in KL Rahul, and hence the only way to slot him in the mix is by making him the specialist keeper in the first Test.