Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta has shared his assessment of KL Rahul taking on the wicketkeeping responsibilities for India in the upcoming five-match Test series against England. Dasgupta acknowledges Rahul’s considerable skills as a keeper but notes his lack of experience in donning the gloves in Indian playing conditions.

India has included three keepers, KL Rahul, KS Bharat, and Dhruv Jurel, in the squad for the Test series against England, sparking speculation about who will take on the wicketkeeping duties. While Rahul kept wickets in the Test series against South Africa, it remains uncertain if he will continue in the same role against England. Wicket-keeping in India poses unique challenges due to the sharp spin of the balls, making it a crucial aspect of the game.

Challenges Ahead: KL Rahul’s Transition to Test Wicketkeeping in Indian Conditions

Despite Rahul not having kept wickets in Indian conditions, Dasgupta cautions against underestimating his batting prowess. Dasgupta rejects the notion that Rahul is a part-time keeper, highlighting his role as India’s wicketkeeper in the ODI World Cup. However, he points out the challenge of keeping in Tests, emphasizing the importance of experience and repetition.

Dasgupta emphasizes that Rahul has not kept wickets against spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, presenting a significant challenge. He underscores the demanding nature of keeping in India, especially against spinners, and emphasizes the need for consistent concentration throughout the day. Dasgupta suggests that mastering the role requires extensive practice.

See Also:“I think he’ll establish himself completely in Indian Test team” – Sunil Gavaskar lauds Yashasvi Jaiswal

Recent reports indicating the team management’s preference for KS Bharat as the wicketkeeper in the Test series against England, expressing reservations about Rahul’s suitability for the role, add a layer of uncertainty to the situation.

The BCCI has announced a modification to the lineup for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, commencing with the Boxing Day Test at Centurion. Ishan Kishan, initially considered one of India’s two wicketkeeping options, is now excluded from the squad due to personal reasons. Having debuted against the West Indies in July, Kishan’s spot will be filled by KS Bharat, India’s primary choice during the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia in February-March.

Mr. Ishan Kishan has requested release from the upcoming Test series against South Africa due to personal reasons, as stated in a BCCI announcement. Having scored a half-century in the West Indies, Kishan, initially rested for ODIs, will now miss both assignments. With his absence, KL Rahul, listed as a wicketkeeper, is poised for his first Test as a designated keeper-batter, with Bharat as backup. Rahul will assume the role of frontline wicketkeeper in ODIs and confirmed the same for Tests, batting in the middle order. The two-match Test series begins on December 26 in Centurion, featuring the return of Sharma, Kohli, and Bumrah after a post-World Cup break.

India’s Test squad for South Africa series: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk).

On the 19th of December, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) franchise could be one of the most intriguing teams to check out. They select the best available players and spend a hefty price to get those who are current trends. Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran are two prime examples of this.

PBKS has a purse of 29.1 crores and eight seats available, two of which are in foreign countries. They have a powerful unit and require a few players to cover the void and others to serve as backups for the regular starters. Here is a list of three possible picks for the next mini-auction from PBKS. 

• Josh Hazlewood

Punjab Kings may target Hazlewood to build a dangerous pace three with Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, and the Australian fast himself. The signing of Hazlewood might give the Kings’ bowling attack a new dimension, giving them a force to be reckoned with in the IPL 2024.

With his stint with the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, he has proved to be a quality pacer who can scalp crucial wickets and be an economical bowling option. 

• Shahrukh Khan

Punjab Kings put their faith in Shahrukh Khan and backed him like no other team in recent years. However, Shahrukh could not deliver regular results, and the Punjab-based team eventually discharged him ahead of the IPL auction in 2024.

Shahrukh was meant to be a long-term investment, but he has yet to perform as well as predicted. However, PBKS can repurchase him at a cheaper cost and assign him to the finishing responsibilities, as he has set a base price tag of Rs. 40L. Shahrukh has enormous potential and can be counted on to produce once more. 

• KS Bharat

With the wicketkeeping priorities given to Jonny Bairstow and Jitesh Sharma, it is a safer and viable option to rope in another keeper-batter, who can also be a potential candidate to score some crucial runs. And KS Bharat could be one of their players to check out.

The team’s top wicketkeeper, Bairstow, has just been injured, and the English players’ availability is always an issue. As a result, a cover for the Englishmen is required, and KS Bharat fills the bill wonderfully. He can also strike the ball and has shown tremendous improvement as a wicketkeeper, with good technique when given a chance. 

After a wait of 1205 days, Virat Kohli finally registered a Test century, bringing up three figures on day four of the fourth Test against Australia in Ahmedabad.

Kohli brought up Test century No.28 after flicking Nathan Lyon for a single and helping India push towards a crucial first-innings lead. There was a gap of 41 innings between his last century and this one, with the previous one coming over three years ago against Bangladesh in November 2019.

Virat Kohli scored a sublime 136 in India’s only innings at the Eden Gardens and helped his team secure an innings and 46-run victory. “600kg Gorilla off his back,” Ravi Shastri boomed on commentary as Kohli raised his bat, then removed his helmet with a smile and kissed his necklace in relief to a standing ovation from the Ahmedabad crowd. He now has eight Test hundreds against Australia, second-most, on par with Sunil Gavaskar on a list that is topped by Sachin Tendulkar, who has 11.

Virat Kohli slams his 75th International Century in style

The star batsman resumed on his overnight score of 59 after he got his first Test half-century since January 2022 on day three on a pitch favouring the batsmen. Kohli, 34, went through an extended lean patch last year, failing to reach three figures in more than 1,000 days. He quit as Twenty20 skipper in late 2021 and in January 2022 was sacked from the one-day captaincy and gave up leading the Test side, too.

The long wait has finally ended for Virat Kohli 🔥#WTC23 | #INDvAUS | 📝 https://t.co/VJoLfVSeIF pic.twitter.com/JGZcVsHvHj— ICC (@ICC) March 12, 2023

But he hit his first ton after 1,020 days in the Asia Cup T20 tournament in September last year and hasn’t looked back since. Kohli finished the T20 World Cup in Australia as the leading run-scorer and then hit three ODI centuries, including two — 113 and 166 not out — against Sri Lanka in January

IPL 2022 continues to roll on after the Mega Auction. The Mega Auction saw some suprising and interesting buys, and below are a few players who were bought for their exploits in the previous seasons but have still not been used despite being in decent touch following IPL 2021.

Kartik Tyagi

Kartik Tyagi was a key member in the Royals bowling line-up last season. His pace and aggression made him a valuable asset in a line-up with Jofra Archer. Last season, without Jofra Archer, Kartik Tyagi continued to be effective when given chances. His success found him a spot on the touring Indian team to Australia, and he also defended four runs in the final over against PBKS to bring him into the spotlight.

He was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the auction ahead of IPL 2022. With a string of pacers such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik and T Natarajan ahead of him, Kartik Tyagi is left warming the bench and is still waiting for his chance in IPL 2022

Chetan Sakariya

Chetan Sakariya was the find of IPL 2022 with his left-arm seam bowling. He took some key wickets last season and turned out to be a key member in their bowling unit. His left-arm variety brings a new dimension to the line-up, and his success last season also saw him get into the Indian Team.

This season, he is with the Delhi Capitals, but hasn’t been given a chance up until now as the Capitals went with the experience of Khaleel Ahmed. Eight games in, Sakariya finally got a go in his eighth game and did a handy job, which could help him keep his place for a few more games in IPL 2022.

See Also: Kohli Could Try Going Down The Batting Order: Ruturaj Gaikwad – Cricket Winner

Anrich Nortje

Anrich Nortje was retained by the Delhi Capitals but is coming off a long injury lay-off. He was one of their best bowlers over the last two years, rattling teams with raw pace, but hasn’t looked himself in the one game he played for them so far. Struggling to find rhythm and with constant niggles, Anrich Nortje has only managed only one game out of eight, but is likely to comeback into the side soon considering he is a key member of the pace attack.

KS Bharat

KS Bharat was a key member in the RCB side last season as a keeper and a number three batter. He was consistent through the season and also won them a last over thriller against the Delhi Capitals. His performances helped him earn a spot in the Indian team, and in the auctions he was hot property.

He ended up in the Delhi Capitals, but to his misfortune the side already has a strong keeper in Rishabh Pant who is irreplaceable After aa wonderful season last year, KS Bharat has spent a lot of time on the bench in IPL 2022 and may only get his chance if the Delhi Capitals select him as a pure batter.

Abdul Samad

Abdul Samad was a surprise retention for SRH. He has a reputation for hitting big shots in the end and has cleared the ropes on a number of occasions in the death overs to get SRH to decent positions. His statistics aren’t the most colorful, but the 20-year old has shown some potential in the past as to why he could be a handy player in the side.

After being retained though, Abdul Samad has only played two games, scoring four runs and all of a sudden his retention doesn’t look too good. With SRH having a settled line-up, he is unlikely to get too many games this year and will mostly remain on the bench through IPL 2022 despite the early potential shown.

The IPL 2022 Auction is an even that can often spring up some surprises, and allow certain players to go higher than expected. With a lot of talent and lot to offer from a certain players, the Auction sees cricketers go at rates much greater than their base price, despite not much predictions being made. The surprising picks are not necessarily the highest paid, but they do end up having a lot more demand than expected in the IPL Auction.

IPL 2022 Auction Players to watch , here is the list

Odean Smith

Odean Smith is a fast-bowling all-rounder from Jamaica, and is very similar to Andre Russel. He can touch speeds of 90 miles per hour with ease, and is a very explosive six-hitter at the back end of the innings. His performance in the Caribbean Premier League was pretty good last season, and Smith is also starting to find his feet in international cricket.

He isn’t too experienced and his ability in India hasn’t been tested yet, and these factors could be on the franchises mind. Apart from his experience and ability in India though, Odean Smith could be a promising buy, and with his explosive ability he could go for a decent price when compared to his base price.

Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan made a name for himself in the TNPL, with his explosive hitting, and continued to do wonders in the domestic tournaments. He is now famous for his finishing abilities, and was a key player for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Ali Mushtaq Trophy and the Vijay Hazare trophy. In the previous IPL auction, Shah Rukh Khan had some strong demand as he went for over 6cr. He had a decent season, scoring fifty against Chennai, but couldn’t find a regular spot in the team. He has had a better year after the IPL, and has also made the national squad, which could help increase the demand for him in the IPL Auction.

Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone had a dream tournament while playing the hundred, and is in some strong form for England in the shortest format. His batting in the middle has been aggressive and consistent, but it has been his bowling which is making noise. With the ability to bowl both off and leg spin, Livingstone is a silent and economical customer in the middle overs. He has been running through his overs nicely, and choking teams. His bowling wasn’t used to much by the Rajasthan Royals, but this time it will have a huge role in the tournament, and that could be a factor that helps his price go up high.

KS Bharat

With all the franchises hitting the reset button, wicket-keepers will have a lot of demand. KS Bharat has been in the middle of a good run, and that helps him gather attention. He has played for India A consistently, and is a part of the Test side, subbing in nicely against New Zealand.

He was also pretty consistent for RCB last season, scoring runs at three and setting the innings up nicely for Glenn Maxwell and Ab De Villiers. Among all the consistency, Bharat rose to fame after a famous incident with Avesh Khan saw him hit a six to beat Delhi in a thrilling encounter. Recent events will definitely help the Andhra boy be among the top wicket-keepers to look out for in the IPL Auction.

Washington Sundar

As always, all-rounders generally tend to have a lot of takers in the IPL Auction. Washington Sundar is one who is very capable to attract interest as well. He is young, he can bat anywhere in the batting line-up, and bowls off-spin. He is very good with the new ball, giving silent overs up front, and can also open the batting as he did the job in the TNPL before. He is in good batting form, and has nearly breached the century on multiple occasions. With multiple utilities and age on his side, Sundar could have a lot of takers, and it will be interesting to see how teams use Sundar’s potential as he often goes unused in the IPL.

Jason Holder

Jason Holder is another quiet customer who can bring in a lot of value. He came in as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh in IPL 2020, and did a really good job with the ball as Sunrisers turned a poor tournament around and qualified. He took a lot of wickets in the middle-order while also providing stability in the middle order. As a bowler, Holder doesn’t have too much pace, which makes him go unnoticed. His height though allows him to extract awkward bounce, and he has the knack of getting lots of wickets in the middle overs.

Coming to his batting, Holder isn’t as explosive as an Andre Russell, but he can hit the big ones nicely. He is a calm cricketer who takes the game deep, and calculates his innings well. He knows how to hang around, and plays the situation nicely before going for the big ones. Despite his talents, Jason Holder often tends to go unnoticed, but his numbers are good enough to keep franchises interested, and he could easily surprise a lot of people in the IPL Auction.

Deepak Chahar

Since 2018, Deepak Chahar has been among the top bowlers in the powerplay. He has the ability to extract any amount of swong in the surface, and is priceless upfront, picking up key wickets early on. Along with his new-ball skills, Deepak Chahar is an improving death bowler, and has grown vastly in the last few years. He is also a handy lower order batter, and due to his all-round skills, Chahar can easily attract some strong bids in the auction. With the Chennai Super Kings likely to target him, Chahar will not go cheap, and may well break records as the most expensive fast bowler in the IPL Auction.