The very first Test against Bangladesh is going to be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on September 19 and KL Rahul is set to play for India. According to a report by news agency PTI, the player who served as India’s captain in December last year during the last Test series against Bangladesh is likely to get preference over Sarfaraz Khan as India’s fifth batter in the first Test of the two-match series and he is 32 years old.
KL Rahul made his Test debut on December 26, 2014 when India took on Australia in their home ground at Melbourne. He has so far played 50 red-ball matches and scored 2863 runs in them. His last innings for India was against England at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium located at Hyderabad where he scored 86 runs during first innings of that particular match.
Nonetheless, a BCCI insider states that experience would favor him over Sarfaraz who made his Test debut for India against England at Rajkot on February 15, 2024 and impressed everyone with his batting during the last three Tests of five-match series which were won by India under Rohit Sharma by a margin of 4-1.
“From the outside looking in, it is hard for outsiders to figure out how a team functions and what systems exist. KL scored his last century in South Africa, which is considered to be one of the best Test innings of recent times, and scored 86 at Hyderabad in the last Test he played before injury. He was not dropped but got injured. So he is fit and available; moreover, he had scored fifty in Duleep (Trophy), got match time and would have been starting,” PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying.
The tour of Australia during November-December is the main focus of both the team management and selection committee with an advantage being given to Rahul considering his experience from 50 Test matches behind him.
“Sarfaraz has done all things rightly; if there’s any injury then he will just come in but Rahul is irreplaceable due to experience. Not only on Bangladesh are they concentrating but also looking forward to previous practices while going to Australia,” the source added.
In addition, this principle of continuity will also apply in the case between Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel where 26 year old Pant is expectedly going to be partaking in the series opener match.
