India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul expressed that he dislikes facing teammate Mohammed Shami in the nets, having struggled against him in T20 matches. He also mentioned Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan as a bowler that worries him. Rahul has been chosen over Rishabh Pant as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper for the Champions Trophy, which raises concerns from former cricketer Sarandeep Singh. Singh criticized the decision, arguing that Rahul, primarily a batter, shouldn’t be favored over a specialized wicketkeeper like Pant in crucial matches. In the tournament, Rahul scored 41 against Bangladesh but didn’t bat against Pakistan, where India won thanks to Virat Kohli’s century.
KL Rahul, the wicketkeeper-batter from India, has disclosed that he dreads facing his teammate, fast bowler Mohammed Shami, during net sessions. In an interview on ESPNCricinfo’s 25 Questions, when asked about the bowler he dislikes facing, Rahul quickly mentioned Shami’s name. Notably, Shami has bowled 28 deliveries to Rahul in T20 matches, allowing just 31 runs and dismissing him twice. Furthermore, when prompted to identify a bowler that keeps him awake at night, Rahul named Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan spinner.
Rahul has overtaken Rishabh Pant as India’s primary wicketkeeper for the current Champions Trophy.
Nonetheless, former Indian spinner Sarandeep Singh has expressed concern regarding the team’s management’s inclination towards Rahul over Pant.
“Taking a regular wicketkeeper like Rishabh Pant to an ICC event, who is an exceptional batter and provides a left-handed option in the middle order, makes it hard to comprehend the decision if he is left out,” Sarandeep told ANI.
“KL Rahul is not a conventional wicketkeeper. He is fundamentally a batter assigned the wicketkeeping role. If he were only to come in as a batter, there would be no slot for him in the batting order. It’s essential to have a proper wicketkeeper in significant tournaments; even a single dropped catch can turn the match in the opposite direction,” he further stated.
In the opening match against Bangladesh, Rahul remained unbeaten with a score of 41, while he did not have an opportunity to bat against Pakistan due to India clinching the win, aided by Virat Kohli’s remarkable 51st ODI century.
After his innings against Pakistan, Kohli ascended one spot in the latest ODI batting rankings, returning to the fifth position, as released by the ICC recently.
This places three Indian batsmen in the top five. Opening batsman Shubman Gill (first) and captain Rohit Sharma (third) retained their ranks at the premier positions owing to their commendable performances at the ongoing Champions Trophy.
Gill actually widened his lead at the top of the rankings, while former Pakistan captain Babar Azam remains in second place despite struggling at the Champions Trophy thus far.
(With ANI Inputs)
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