"If He Wants To Play World Cup...": Ex-India Star's Advice For KL Rahul

22.01.2024 - 20:45 sports.ndtv.com

With the clean sweep against Afghanistan in the recently-concluded T20I series, Team India started their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup on a positive note.

The series marked the return of India skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli in the T20I format after a gap of 14 months.

It is highly likely that both the players will feature in India's squad at the marquee event. However, there are doubts over the selection of wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul.

Team India has found potential batters in the form of Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and even wicketkeeper like Jitesh Sharma, who is known for his destructive batting.

cricket India Cricket Team England Cricket Team cup Marcus Stoinis Nicholas Pooran Rohit Sharma Aakash Chopra Jitesh Sharma Kl Rahul India Afghanistan

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has questioned wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat's role in the Test team. Since making his Test debut last year against Australia in Nagpur, Bharat has scored just 221 runs in seven matches, averaging a meagre 20.09. He is yet to score a half-century in the longest format of the game. Manjrekar feels since Bharat is not contributing much with the bat, the management should look at other alternatives. Manjrekar doesn't feel the management should invest more time in Bharat, especially with Rishabh Pant waiting in the wings.

"Don't Rush Him": Ex India Star On 'Indispensable' Ravindra Jadeja's Return For Rajkot Test

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra said that Team India should not rush back star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja into the side for the third Test against England, since he will have to bowl a lot and also offer plenty with his bat and fielding. India will play the third Test against England at Rajkot from February 15 onwards. The series is level at 1-1, with three matches to go. Jadeja, who missed the second Test due to injury, has been included in the squad for the remainder of the series, but his being on the field is subject to his fitness, as per the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

R Ashwin "Hasn't Risen In The Series": Ex India Star Explains Off-Colour Display vs England

Former India opener Aakash Chopra lashed out at off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for not being creative enough on the batting-friendly pitches as he has produced disappointing performances in the first two Tests against England. Ashwin has picked nine wickets in two Tests at an average of 36.33. He has not managed to get a four-wicket or a five-wicket haul in the series so far. He has been outperformed as a spinner by England's Tom Hartley, who has 14 wickets at an average of 24.57, including a seven-wicket haul in the first test.

"Wake-Up Call For India": England Great's Advice For Rohit Sharma And Co After Loss In 1st Test

The Hyderabad Test loss should serve as wake-up call for India that England's 'Bazball' strategy is effective on slow tracks as well, according to former captain Nasser Hussain. Since embracing Bazball, England are yet to lose a Test series and they fashioned a memorable 28-run win on the back of Ollie Pope's monumental 196 and debutant left-arm spinner Tom Hartley's seven-wicket haul after conceding a massive 190-run first innings lead in the opening Test against India. "India will probably rue their first innings. They got 436 but actually they could have got a lot more if not for some sloppy dismissals. They will come back. They are a very fine side and history tells you it will be tough for England," Hussain wrote in his column for 'Sky Sports'.

India vs England: KL Rahul Will Not Play As Wicketkeeper Against England, Says Rahul Dravid

India head coach Rahul Dravid on Tuesday said KL Rahul will not be keeping wickets in the five-match Test series against England, and it will be a toss up between KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel for the wicketkeeper-batter role. Rahul had kept wickets in the two-match series against South Africa recently, and produced a rather nimble effort behind the stumps. The series against England starts here on Thursday.

"Need To Use His Bowlers Cleverly": India Great's Advice For Rohit Sharma Ahead Of England Tests

Team India is all set to face England in the upcoming five-match Test series. The first Test will kick-start from January 25 in Hyderabad. Rohit Sharma and Co will be coming to this series after registering a 3-0 clean sweep against Afghanistan in a T20I series. In this Test series, the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah will be returning to action, who earlier missed the T20Is against Afghanistan. Ahead of the first Test, former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar came up with some advice for skipper Rohit.