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Rishabh Pant Or KL Rahul Or Dhruv Jurel: Who Will Play 1st Test Match Against Bangladesh?

Pant, Dhruv Jurel and KL Rahul are three wicketkeepers in the Indian squad (X.com)Pant, Dhruv Jurel and KL Rahul are three wicketkeepers in the Indian squad (X.com)

Team India is all set to kick-off a blockbuster Test season with a two-match series against Bangladesh starting on 19th of September in Chennai. The 15-member squad for the first Test was announced on Sunday, 8th of September and Rishabh Pant, the swashbuckling wicketkeeper has returned to the longest format.

Pant's last Test match for India was co-incidentally also against Bangladesh in December 2022, and since then India have tried out the likes of Srikar Bharat, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel to fill in the all-important wicketkeeper's slot. 

Out of these four, Srikar Bharat and Ishan Kishan are not in the squad for Bangladesh series, but selectors have included both KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel, giving captain Rohit Sharma three wicketkeeping options for the Chennai Test match.

So, let's try to understand who has the upper hand in the three-way battle ahead of the clash against Bangla Tigers.

Rishabh Pant - Overwhelming Front-Runner

Out of the three options, Rishabh Pant seems to be a certain starter at this point in time. His record in Test cricket is fantastic as he has smashed 2271 runs in 33 Test matches at an average of 43.67. 

Consistency Combined With X-Factor

The southpaw has scored runs across the globe in the longest format and before his accident, he was a vital cog in the Test side because of his ability to counter-attack against the odds. Pant hit two hundreds and four fifties in his last six Test matches which speaks a lot about his consistency in the format and his overall career strike-rate of 73.63 makes him an x-factor and a genuine match-winner.

Pant has single-handedly changed Test matches for India in his brief Test career and it would be hard for team management to look away from the left-hander when he is now fully fit and raring to go with a quickfire fifty in Duleep Trophy game.

Favourable Match-Ups Against Bangladesh And Quality Player Against Spin

Bangladesh have traditionally relied a lot on their left-handed spinners and on spin-friendly decks in India, Bangla Tigers are likely to go with three spinners with two of them being Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam. Both are slow left-arm spinners and Pant being a left-hander has a favourable matchups against the two. 

The left-handed batter has scored 22 off 22 balls against Shakib Al Hasan while against Taijul Islam, he has smashed 46 runs in 36 balls without getting out against both of them. Overall, his strike-rate against left-arm orthodox spinners is over 130 in Test cricket, and it makes Rishabh Pant a hot asset for India in the Test series against Bangladesh.

KL Rahul Can Play As A Pure Batter

KL Rahul has all the ingredients to succeed at the Test level with solid technique at his disposal. However, the Test average of 34.08 does not do justice to his talent and the team management would be expecting that he comes up with goods on a consistent basis.

He is traditionally an opener in Test format, but could fit in as a middle order batter in the first Test, as he he played down the order in the last three Test matches and did well with a century and a fifty in it. 

Rahul can also keep wickets, but is not a full-time wicketkeeper, so with other options around, KL Rahul is likely to take the number 5 position as a pure batter. 

Also, KL Rahul has the knack of scoring runs in difficult conditions in Test cricket, and looked at great ease in his last Test match on a difficult track at Hyderabad during his knock of 86 where he played as a pure batter. He also scored a fifty in the Duleep Trophy game recently and is likely to get a nod over other competitors.

Dhruv Jurel To Miss Out

The 23-year-old wicketkeeper batter did everything he could during the three Test matches he played against England. He started off his career with impressive 46 and followed it up with a brilliant knock of 90 under pressure in the second Test to stamp his authority at the international stage.

However, despite all the good work, Rishabh Pant is likely to get a nod due to his proven credentials and with likes of  Rahul and Sarfaraz Ahmed in line to take a pure batter's spot, Jurel is likely to sit out during the first Test match. 

The right-handed batter could also only muster two runs in as many innings during the Duleep Trophy game, and it seems that he would have to wait a bit longer to make it into the Indian Test XI with Pant back in the mix.