KL Rahul was chosen by Sunil Gavaskar to replace KS Bharat as India’s wicket-keeper for the World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final matchup against Australia.
Initially, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were chosen by the former India captain, who then chose Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and KL Rahul at number six. Jadeja and Ashwin, two spinners, and Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat, and Mohammed Siraj, three pacers, were all used by Gavaskar. He emphasised that Rahane’s inclusion was based on more than only his IPL 2023 performance; it was also based on his impressive performance in the Ranji Trophy.
POINTS TO NOTE
- For the WTC final 2023 against Australia, Sunil Gavaskar picked India’s playing XI.
- In place of KS Bharat, Gavaskar chose KL Rahul as the wicketkeeper.
- In June, the World Test Championship final between India and Australia will be played.
In his playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final versus Australia, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar chose wicket-keeper KL Rahul over regular wicket-keeper KS Bharat, who is also a member of the 15-person squad. The WTC final is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Kennington Oval in London.
KL Rahul was slated to bat at position six, and Gavaskar also chose the team’s captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as the openers.
Ajinkya Rahane, who made a comeback, was kept at his normal No. 5 batting position while Chesteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli essentially picked themselves in positions three and four.
The 73-year-old elected to use two spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, in addition to his pace bowling options of Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
“My opening options will be Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, followed by Cheteshwar Pujara at three, Virat Kohli at four, Ajinkya Rahane at five, and wicket-keeper KL Rahul at six. The next players will be Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, and Mohd Siraj,” according to Gavaskar, who was appearing on Star Sports’ Cricket Live.
Gavaskar noted that Rahane’s selection was likely the only adjustment that the team needed, noting that it was also based on Mumbai’s strong Ranji Trophy record, not simply Rahane’s performance in the IPL 2023.
“For the Indian side, that was the only modification required. Shreyas Iyer needed to be replaced. Ajinkya Rahane was selected for the WTC squad despite his solid Ranji Trophy performance, not because of his current IPL performance. For Mumbai throughout the domestic season, he performed admirably. Who will play in the final eleven is the current question. Whether it will be wicketkeeper KS Bharat or KL Rahul. We’ll just have to wait and see,” he further added.