India and England are all set to play a five-match Test series against each other with the first match to go on January 25, 2024, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Meanwhile, the head coach of the Indian team has picked his wicket-keeper choice for the first game and he has cleared the talks that KL Rahul will not play in this series as a regular wicket-keeper.
“KL Rahul will not be playing as a wicketkeeper in this series. I think we were quite clear about that with the selection itself. We had picked two other wicketkeepers. Obviously, Rahul did a fantastic job for us in South Africa and really played a big part in us drawing that series. But considering It’s five Test matches and playing in these conditions, we felt we would go with another keeping option, considering the weather, considering the conditions. So obviously it’s a selection toss-up between the two other keepers that we have.”
India has KS Bharat who had been designated as the wicket-keeper batter for the four-match Test series against Australia at home. Not only this, the BCCI has also picked the young Dhruv Jurel who has been consistent with his bat in domestic cricket playing for UP and also for India A.
England comes into the series with an impressive Test record under the leadership of Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, securing 13 wins in their last 18 matches. Their aggressive and attacking style known as the Bazball method, has generated considerable interest, and there is anticipation about how it will fare against India in Indian conditions.
