Ex-India cricketer not happy with Rahul Dravid's KL Rahul decision for IND vs SA 1st Test

After winning their ODI series, the Indian cricket team will now play South Africa on December 26, 2023. The KL Rahul-led ODI side prevailed 2-1 on Thursday to win the series. The two-match Test series is crucial because key veterans like Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli will be back after the ODI World Cup.

3 things you need to know 

• India tied the T20I series against SA by 1-1 
• India beat South Africa in the 3rd ODI by 78 runs 
• India triumphed in the ODI series by 2-1

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Parthiv Patel made a huge statement regarding KL Rahul’s selection

Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has said that, rather than choosing KL Rahul to be the designated keeper for the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion, India should have given the wicketkeeping duties to a regular first-class gloveman.

With this choice, Rahul will be India's third wicketkeeper in Test matches for the 2023 season after Rishabh Pant was sidelined by an automobile accident in late 2022. At first, Pant's deputy, KS Bharat, took the field for all four Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests as well as the World Test Championship final at The Oval. Ishan Kishan, who had remarkable batting abilities during the Caribbean trip, took over for Bharat when the latter failed to score even fifty runs in eight consecutive innings.

The incumbent, Kishan, withdrew for personal reasons before the two-Test series in South Africa, which resulted in Bharat's recall. Even though Rahul has played a lot of limited-overs cricket for India, he has played very little in Test matches (having just ever held a wicket in first-class cricket).

Patel, who served as India's Test wicketkeeper 25 times between 2002 and 2018, expressed his displeasure with the decision on X, saying, 

“India's Test match wicketkeeper should be someone who is keeping regularly in Ranji Trophy or first-class cricket.”

Despite his lacklustre recent performance in Test cricket, Rahul's selection is supported by his standing as a better hitter than Bharat. Theoretically, Rahul's addition should strengthen India's batting order, which is anticipated to include Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Interestingly, India has never before won a Test series in South Africa.

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India vs South Africa Test squad

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Abhimanyu Easwaran, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (Vice Captain), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wicket-keeper).