KL Dravid’s major remarks on Bharat and Jurel for India vs. England in the first Test, Rahul being released from keeping duties

India head coach Rahul Dravid said that KL Rahul has been freed of his wicketkeeping responsibilities, therefore it will be a toss-up between KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel for the wicketkeeper position for the first Test against England at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad beginning on Thursday. Dravid announced on Tuesday that Rahul, who had kept remarkably well in the two-match Test series against South Africa, would not be playing as a keeper in the five-match series against England.

In this series, Rahul will not be playing as a wicketkeeper, and the selection itself makes it very apparent. Rahul certainly performed a great job for us in South Africa and really helped us draw the series, but we have selected two different wicketkeepers,” Dravid remarked at a news conference.

Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are both expected to be in the starting XI because Virat Kohli missed the first two Tests owing to personal issues. Rahul, like Iyer, is probably only going to be used as a specialist hitter.

Regarding India’s keeper for the first game of the series, Dravid said that the option would be between Bharat and Jurel.

“But considering five Test matches (against England) and playing in these conditions the selection will be between the two other keepers we have,” he said.

Because of the nature of Indian pitches, a wicketkeeper must always stand up to the wickets against spinners, in this instance, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. This is a job best left to a professional stumper.

In his 92 First-Class matches, the 31-year-old Bengaluru player has only been named wicketkeeper three times, and none of those outings occurred in India.

Under such circumstances, the selection of Rahul as wicketkeeper against England may not have been a smart move by the team management, given that the ‘Bazball’ brand of cricket played by the visitors may limit the gloveman’s opportunities.

On the other hand, Bharat, who took over for Rishabh Pant when the actor was hurt in an automobile accident, has performed well in the part and has received praise often.

Despite his lackluster bat performance, Bharat’s contributions behind the stumps are as important. In 91 First-Class matches, 82 of which have taken place in India, he has recorded 287 catches and 33 stumpings.

For the series against England, Bharat will bat first and serve as wicketkeeper-batter since Jurel is still a little raw.

Perhaps he was elevated in the minds of think-tanks after his undefeated 116 enabled India A tie the maiden unofficial ‘Test’ against England Lions at Ahmedabad recently.