KL Rahul’s presence behind the stumps during the ODI World Cup provided balance to the Indian team, but the stylish Karnataka right-hander is unlikely to don the big gloves in white-ball cricket in the future. The national selection committee is expected to meet on January 19, a day after the Vijay Hazare Trophy final, to select a 15-man provisional squad for the Champions Trophy, with discussions on two fringe choices – the second goalkeeper slot and the goalkeeper slot. It is planned. A wrist spinner in case Kuldeep Yadav doesn’t get fit in time.
For the goalkeeper spot, Rishabh Pant is the first choice by a country mile, but the second goalkeeper spot could be a three-way battle between Dhruv Jurel, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. For now, it looks like Jurel may win the battle.
Samson could have lost because he decided to skip the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Kishan has played 27 ODIs, scoring 933 runs at an average of 42+ and has 270 half-centuries to show for his efforts.
However, he has now fallen slightly out of favor with the selection committee after missing domestic cricket last year and has lost his BCCI annual central contract.
Kishan holds the humble Vijay Hazare Trophy where he has scored 316 runs with 100 runs in 7 matches against one of the NE states.
While Kishan is part of the World Cup squad, young UP and Rajasthan Royals player Jurel has impressed everyone and can definitely slot in as the second goalkeeper.
Jurel was also included in the England T20 squad as Sanju Samson’s understudy. He made his T20I debut for Zimbabwe, but his selection in the shortest format is significant as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee seemed keen on retaining him in white-ball format.
Going forward, Pant and Jurel could be India’s number one and two in Tests and ODIs, while Samson is said to be fit only for the T20 version, where he scored three centuries in late 2024.
Bishnoi vs Varun
While Kuldeep Yadav is expected to appear in fitness tests and match simulations soon, Tamil Nadu’s Varun Chakravarthy has 18 wickets in six matches and Gujarat’s Ravi Bishnoi has 14 wickets in six matches, both of whom will showcase their skills in the T20Is in India. We are competing by showing off.
Varun has two five-wicket hauls for Tamil Nadu and has taken his wickets at an economy rate of 4.36. However, his ability to bowl on the flat deck of the Dubai Stadium remains controversial. Moreover, his fielding is kind of a problem at the international level even though it is not of international standard.
Bishnoi, who primarily bowls, has been very impressive during the VHT campaign, posting an economy rate of 3.64. Additionally, he has a very strong arm, can defend anywhere from deep, and is a fantastic catcher.
Chakravarthy played under Gautam Gambhir at KKR while Bishnoi played under the Indian coach during his spell at Lucknow Super Giants.
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