Who After KL Rahul: Will India’s Wicket-Keepers Please Stand Up

The life after MS Dhoni in the Indian cricket team was expected to be exciting. Either Rishabh Pant or Sanju Samson were to slot right into the middle order, replicating their rich Indian Premier League form on the grand stage. Fans were eager to witness the shift in baton from a torch-bearer to an upcoming star who will emerge as an ideal finisher.

However, six months and few days since the former skipper played his last game for the Men in Blue, the side is in a woeful state. Pant has played, and Pant has been cast aside. Samson has been disappointing. KL Rahul, who was not even a regular when Dhoni was around, has taken over the gloves, but talks still swivel around the Ranchi star.

Will he or will he not be able to set the stage alight in the upcoming IPL, which could once again make Dhoni a lead contender for the role in the upcoming T20 World Cup?

Is Rahul, the Glove-Man, the Way Forward?

Life pans out in weird ways. Well, it sure did for Rahul. Considered a natural talent in the shortest format of the game, the Karnataka batsman was benched more than he played as India stuck to a left-right combination at the top of the order.

Though Shikhar Dhawan’s T20I strike rate is well below an acceptable 130, the Indian team management persisted with the Delhi batsman, also as they were hesitant to break a solid pair that had won a number of games for India in the 50-over format.

Rahul, thus, warmed the benches when South Africa came calling in September. He got a chance, but at three, against Bangladesh in Virat Kohli’s absence. After two failures in the first two games, he roared back with a fine 52 off 35 in the third, which was the start of a juggernaut, if one can call it that.

An injury to Dhawan ahead of the series against West Indies meant that Rahul was back at his preferred position, and by making his opportunity count emphatically in both the T20I and the ODI series, he made it tough for Kohli and co to look past him. Dhawan returned for the series against Sri Lanka and Rohit Sharma’s absence allowed him to score vital knocks at the top.

Destiny had another twist in store for Rahul after a concussion to Pant in the ODIs against Australia in Mumbai, which meant that he was handed the gloves for the remainder of the match, and eventually the series.

A decent performance behind the wickets along with Pant’s prolonged inconsistency forced Kohli to acknowledge that Rahul could potentially be India’s long-term keeper in white-ball cricket.

In the T20I series against the Black Caps, Pant, who was in the squad did not play a single game with India making their intention clear of continuing with Rahul in a dual-role. From being uncertain of a spot to grasping onto his chances – his keeping skills have not been the worst either – the 27-year old’s career has transformed in no time.

But here is the question. Can a temporary fix be a long-term cure?

The benefits far outnumber the negatives, currently. The fact that the side’s best batter in the format is in charge of the gloves as well allows Team India to play with an additional batter like Manish Pandey, who showed his expertise down the order in the series.

An extra specialist batsman also frees up space for a proper bowler – either Kuldeep Yadav, thus bringing back the preferred Kuldeep-Yuzvendra Chahal combination – or two all-rounders instead of one. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja can both turn out in the middle order, which gives Kohli much to play with.

While there are talks of keeping increasing the burden on the opener, the T20 format survives due to the presence of all-rounders, and with Samson and Pant both blowing up their umpteen chances, Rahul might just enter the T20 event in Australia as India’s number one glove-man.

But Where is the Back-up Keeper?

Will it be Pant? Or Samson? Or Dhoni, or maybe even Dinesh Karthik? While Rahul is expected to carry on with his dual role, what happens in case of an injury?

Or if he loses his form? A few bad innings with the bat might increase the pressure on the Kings XI Punjab skipper, with Dhawan and even Prithvi Shaw lurking near.

In the past, we have witnessed Pant’s fluctuating form affecting his wicket-keeping form. If Rahul does have a bad game or a few bad games with the willow, will it affect his performances with the glove as well?

While Dhoni had a safety net as far as his place in the side was concerned, a few poor outings will only increase the pressure on Rahul. Will India continue with him, then? Who are the other options?

There is Pant - a highly acclaimed youngster who has let go of his unlimited chances due to bad shot selection and immaturity on occasions. Once considered as the natural heir to Dhoni in the side, the left-hander did not play a single game in the five-match T20I series.

Pant was the only player along with Kuldeep who did not feature even once on the tour.

There is Samson – who too rose the ranks from the IPL, played a few stunning shots in his limited international matches but, like Pant, failed to capitalise.

There is, of course, Dhoni, who is yet to retire and could potentially make a comeback to the side if he has a stellar IPL. Same with Dinesh Karthik as well, who many believe, has wrongly been ousted from the side.

But while going back to the senior pros offers a cushion, the move will take Indian cricket back at least a couple of years.

While Rahul should not be termed a makeshift keeper – he does keep for his state in domestic matches – the lack of alternatives and options if he does fail will be the biggest worry going forward.

(Sarah Waris is a postgraduate in English Literature has taken on the tough task of limiting the mystic world of cricket to a few hundred words.)