England vs India 2018: Ravi Shastri hints about KL Rahul's batting position in the Test series
Indian coach Ravi Shastri has hinted that KL Rahul could bat in the middle order in the upcoming five-match Test series against England starting on August 1 in Birmingham.
In an interview with ESPN, the former India international addressed various things including KL Rahul's role in the team for which Shastri said, "he has been picked as the third opener. But our batting order will always be flexible. The third opener can play anywhere in the top four. We are a very, very flexible outfit. Be prepared for that. We will surprise you guys at times."
There were a lot of talks about KL Rahul batting at number three ahead of the regular number 3 Cheteshwar Pujara in the first Test and Rahul's performance in the warm-up match against Essex in Chelmsford will help the Karnataka batsman's cause. Rahul batted at number six and scored a stroke-filled 58 in the first innings and was unbeaten on 36 in the second innings where he opened the batting.
Pujara's current form won't be helping his cause as he has been struggling to get going of late. Even in the warm-up match against Essex, he managed to score just 1 and 23, raising a few eyebrows among the fans over his place in the side.
But, Shastri has backed Pujara and is confident that he is just one innings away from registering a big score. "He's an extremely experienced player. I feel he is one innings away [from a big score]. He needs to spend time at the crease. If he gets one 60-70 under his belt, he will be a different player altogether. My job is to make sure he is thinking in that fashion," he said.
There will be a huge headache for skipper Virat Kohli in choosing the right combination for the series against England. It will be interesting to see whether Rahul opens with Murali Vijay or he bats at number three ahead of Pujara.