India will take on Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from February 9© BCCI
Former Indian cricket team captain Kapil Dev believes that KL Rahul is not indispensable to the national squad and if he does not help the team’s composition, he could be dropped for the first Test against Australia from February 9. There has been a lot of speculation around the playing XI India can play in Nagpur with both Rahul and Shubman Gill being considered to open with Rohit Sharma. On the other hand, Rahul can also be used as a mediocre option in the absence of injured Shreyas Iyer, but again faces stiff competition from in-form Suryakumar Yadav.
“Why can’t he be dropped? There shouldn’t be any rule. You have to look at the team combination, who the team needs to win. There’s no need. In Indian cricket I don’t think there is a constant system like a vice-captain. We used to have a new vice-captain in every Test match. He’s a very mature player, I even like him,” Kapil said on Uncut.
“I consider him a great hitter, but if he doesn’t fit into the team, then leave it as it is. The team comes first and I think the captain and management should be called for that. Some players are lucky.” Rahul Dravid also played many such matches where he was forced to keep the wicket.”
The former India skipper was also full of praise for Shubman Gill, who was enjoying brilliant form in the recently concluded limited overs matches against New Zealand. Kapil said he is playing better than any other player at the moment and should be getting consistent chances.
“When we played cricket we used to say a man in form is important. In today’s day and age no one plays better than him. Everyone plays well but he is slightly better. There is a huge difference between him now and him about a year ago. He matures with time and if he doesn’t play now, he might miss out on the chance to become a superstar and just stay a star,” he explained.
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