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Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said that KL Rahul can serve as a promising wicketkeeper-batter in the T20I World Cup. However, if Rishabh Pant is fit, he should be considered as the first choice. Rahul has been rested for the upcoming T20I series, and instead, Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson have been picked in the India squad. Rishabh Pant wasn’t available for the selection as he is on his road to recovery after a fatal car accident he survived in December 2022.
The former India captain was on the Star Sports show, 'Game Plan', where he was asked whether he sees Rahul as a suitable middle-order wicketkeeper-batter for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Gavaskar, to which, replied, "I see him (Rahul) as a wicketkeeper as well but I will say one thing before that - if Rishabh Pant is fit on even one leg, he should come in the team because he is a game-changer in every format. If I am the selector, I will put his name first.”
Gavaskar went on to say that if Pant isn’t available, Rahul comes as a suitable choice. The Little Master said, "However if Rishabh Pant is unavailable and KL Rahul keeps wickets, it will be good because the balance will also get created. Then you have the option to play him as an opener or use him in the middle order as a finisher at No. 5 or No. 6."
Rahul has scored 2,265 runs at an average of 37.75 and an impressive strike rate of 139.12 in 68 T20I innings. However, despite such a vast experience, Rahul has never batted below No. 4 in T20Is.
