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'KL Rahul was never an option. If you want man-to-man replacement...': Ex-RR coach's startling 'WTC Final' statement
KL Rahul was ruled out of the World Test Championship final against Australia after a hamstring injury.
India's star batter KL Rahul confirmed on Friday that he would miss the World Test Championship final against Australia next month after picking a hamstring injury during the 2023 Indian Premier League. Rahul injured his hamstring after he dived to stop a boundary during Lucknow Super Giants' match against Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this month, and while he did come to bat following the ninth wicket of LSG's innings, he had visible discomfort in running between the wickets.
Rahul was widely seen as India's potential wicketkeeper-batter option for the title clash against Australia in June, even with KS Bharat being in the squad as the first-choice keeper. However, former Indian batter Amol Muzumdar believes that Rahul was never an option because the English conditions are harder for a wicketkeeper. Interestingly, Muzumdar dropped Ishan Kishan's name as the player who could potentially make into the XI.
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“I'll stick with what I said. You need genuine keeper who can bat a little. KL Rahul was never an option, for me, at least, in Test matches. It's okay for T20 or a fifty-over match, but for Test – especially in England – where the ball nibbles around, you need a genuine keeper,” Muzumdar told ESPNCricinfo.
“Looking at the situation, what has happened to Rahul is unfortunate. But I would be inclined to include Ishan Kishan in the team, looking at his form. Why we talked about KL Rahul and KS Bharat… is because of the unfortunate incident to Rishabh Pant. Now, if you want a man-to-man replacement, you can't get any closer to Pant than Ishan Kishan. So, he comes into my team. He should be included,” Muzumdar further said.
The Indian domestic veteran did, however, insisted that he would look at all the possible options closely during the nets in days before the WTC Final to take a final call on the XI. The final takes place between June 7-11 at the Oval in London.
