Lately, KL Rahul has shown his impressive form, coming up with a winning 52-ball 80 for the second ODI against Australia.
India’s captain, Virat Kohli said that KL Rahul can keep the gloves in the shorter formats. On top of his impressive skills as a batsman, he also covered for the absence of wicketkeeper, Rishabh Pant. This proved his versatility as a cricketer and a valuable player for the India cricket team.
He impressed Kohli with his flexibility in the batting order. Now, Kohli has decided to keep this combination for the upcoming India tour of New Zealand this Friday, January 24.
Last Sunday, Kohli said in an interview, ‘Rahul really brings in a good balance to keep that well and bat that well in that position’.
He continued, ‘Now that we understand that this team is right, we're going to go ahead with that for a while and figure out whether this is the right team or not. We can't chop and change immediately and create confusion within the group. We're playing well, unchanged team, and we did the job again’.
Kohli compared the situation to India’s formula in the 2003 World Cup where Rahul Dravid was convinced to don the gloves for an extra batsman. Kohli thought they could enforce this strategy for the upcoming matches against New Zealand.
The first T20I match between India and New Zealand is set to happen on January 24 at the Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. India (-185.19) is predicted to win over New Zealand (+154).
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