‘Isse acha Cheeku bhaiyya se keeping karva lo’ – Fans react as Harbhajan Singh backs KL Rahul to keep wickets in Test Championship final

With the Indian Cricket Board announcing a 15-man Indian squad for the Test Championship final against Australia to be contested at The Oval in England starting on June 7 this year, Ajinkya Rahane returned to the Indian side after an outstanding IPL 2023 campaign. KL Rahul, who missed the final two Tests of the Australia series, is also back with the team.

Along with Rahane, veteran pro KL Rahul made the 15-man roster despite losing his vice-captaincy and spot in the team for the last two Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests against Australia. Rahul, on the other hand, is unlikely to be a front-runner.

Sarfaraz Khan, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan – major misses in the squad

Instead, he can put on the gloves and bat in the middle of the order since designated keeper-batter KS Bharat might not make the starting XI due to his batting weaknesses. Rahul and Rahane’s experience has been relied upon by the team management in English conditions, where the ball is anticipated to swing.

Former Indian spin great Harbhajan Singh also reiterated the same. He says KL Rahul is his uncontested choice for keeping the wickets in the coveted final. On his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh said, “KL Rahul will be my wicketkeeper in the Test Championship Final”. KL Rahul is currently in action for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as their captain. His team is currently third on the IPL 2023 rankings with eight points from seven games.

Naturally, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan had nowhere to go. After his outstanding Ranji seasons, Sarfaraz Khan’s name undoubtedly would have been discussed, but this IPL exposed his vulnerability against top-tier pace.

India’s Test squad WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.

Here’s how fans reacted to Harbhajan Singh’s statement:

https://twitter.com/vhrr16572668/status/1650831449116004354

https://twitter.com/SrjKumar14/status/1650831541277192192

KL should not be in 11 rather should not even travel to UK

— cv (@cric_vicky09) April 25, 2023

pic.twitter.com/KwBIWT0F4c

— Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (@Dumblydore99) April 25, 2023

Bhajiya's routine now a days – Select a new player everyday, bootlick him, doesn't get a response, moves on to next player.

— Vimal (@its_Vimalhere) April 25, 2023

HE IS GOOD PLAYER BUT HE PLAY VERY SLOW IN T20 pic.twitter.com/srUYJqbcmW

— HASAN RAZA (@HASANRAZACANADA) April 25, 2023

He is not even keeping in IPL, he almost never kept in Test Matches as well.

— Yuvraj (@Yuvi_A7) April 25, 2023

pic.twitter.com/GNYtQZkTbJ

— Bhagirath makwana (@Bhagirath28) April 25, 2023