Indian cricket team is gearing up to face Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June at the Oval in London. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has recently announced the 15-member squad, which has been selected with an eye on the swinging and overcast conditions. Despite missing some key players like Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, the team boasts a balanced squad. However, what has grabbed attention is that there is only one designated wicketkeeper in the side in the form of KS Bharat.
While Bharat is a capable wicket-keeper, KL Rahul is the backup option and is expected to play in the middle order if needed. There is a debate going on as to who between Bharat and Rahul should keep the wickets in the marquee clash against Australia. Interestingly, the name of MS Dhoni, the legendary Indian captain, has been thrown into the mix.
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When asked about the possibility of Dhoni coming out of retirement to keep wickets for the team in the WTC final, Indian coach Ravi Shastri during an interaction on ESPNCricinfo, "Oh yeah. He has shown up a lot of young keepers in the country with the way he has kept behind the stumps, the way he has moved just for someone who doesn't play first-class cricket just to pitch up."
"Nah. Once MS makes up his mind, he makes up his mind. To leave Test cricket, where he could have easily played for a year or year and a half, if he was statistically driven like our country is then he would have loved that 100 Test match mark, big crowd, nice ceremony, nice presentation, walk around the crowd, say goodbye to everyone...he doesn't want that. He's like hands up, new man is there, let him be."
With the absence of Shreyas Iyer and Pant, the Indian middle order has taken a hit, and the onus will be on players like Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul to deliver. The Indian team will have to put up a solid performance against a strong Australian side in the WTC final to clinch the title.
