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KL Rahul set to continue as wicketkeeper-batsman for a while: Virat Kohli

KL Rahul set to continue as wicketkeeper-batsman for a while, says Virat Kohli after the Bengalurean brought some initial success in the ODI series against Australia.

KL Rahul to continue as Indias wicketkeeper batsman

Bengaluru, January 20: KL Rahul has brought some initial success to his dual role as wicketkeeper batsman for India. He had effected three stumpings and made 80 in the second ODI at Rajkot and had a reasonably good outing in the series-decider at Bengaluru on Sunday (January 19).

Skipper Virat Kohli said the team management is quite happy with the efforts of Rahul and said it has brought more clarity in terms of team combination, hinting that India might continue to take this route for a while now.

"Rahul brings in a good balance, if he can keep and bat that well in that position. He has come into the slot and he has done well so we will have to persist with that a little bit and see where that takes us and not necessarily be confused about the other options. I think lack of clarity in terms of positions has really hurt us in the past.

"Now that we understand that this feels right, we will go ahead with that for a while and figure out if this is the right thing to do or not. You can chip and change immediately and create confusion among the group. So, playing with an unchanged team did the job in two back-to-back matches. Don't see any reason why we should change this balance. It has done well for the team and we will continue with the same for a while," said Kohli.

Kohli went back to the days when Rahul Dravid used to keep wickets in one-dayers and said a frontline batsman donning the role of wicketkeeper can improve the stability of the team.

"It definitely allows us to play an extra batsman which strengthens our batting massively. That is a very important factor as far as the team balance is concerned. If you look at the 2003 World Cup where Rahul (Dravid) bhai started keeping, the balance became different because you could play an extra batter and guys at the top could really play positive cricket, so look he is very open to playing anywhere because he is a proper batsman.

"He won't go slam bang from ball one but he can do what he did in Rajkot while just playing good cricketing shots. So, I think solid game plan and understanding of his game is helping. He has reflected on what he needs to do in the last five six months and he has come a long way. Those are good signs for us and it gives a boost to the team because he keeps as well," he said.

Story first published: Monday, January 20, 2020, 10:54 [IST]
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