KL Rahul To Play As Pure Batter As Dravid Hints At India's Playing XI For 1st Test vs ENG
KL Rahul will play as a pure batter vs ENG [X.com]
In a significant development, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has confirmed that KL Rahul will play purely as a batter in the England Tests. As reported by Sportstar, Dravid has clarified that Rahul won't be keeping in the much-anticipated home Test series.
As Rahul won't keep wickets, India will likely prefer KS Bharat for the keeper's slot. Meanwhile, the absence of Virat Kohli has opened the doors for Shreyas Iyer to feature in the first two Tests.
Notably, Rahul kept during the South Africa Tests to counter the extra bounce off the surface. In 16 home Tests, the stylish right-hander has amassed 923 runs at an impressive average of 40.13. He will possibly bat at number four in the star-studded line-up.
Regarding India, the home team will open the batting with the dynamic duo of Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, followed by Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer at number three, four and five, respectively.
Keeper-batter KS Bharat will bat at six, followed by the three spin bowling all-rounders- Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will likely be India's pace bowling duo for the first Test in Hyderabad.
India's probable playing XI for Hyderabad Test
Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
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