Now that M.S. Dhoni has retired from international cricket should Team India start looking for a regular wicket-keeper in limited overs cricket ?  There is a lot of scepticism among certain quarters on whether K.L. Rahul can be considered as a permanent choice even though he has looked impressive in his short stint as a wicket-keeper so far.

Rahul replaced Rishabh Pant as the wicket-keeper after the latter got injured. It happened during the ODI series which India played against Australia at home in January this year. Since taking up the additional responsibility of keeping wickets Rahul has started to score the big knocks regularly. But can he be expected to carry on in such fashion for long? 

More importantly he  was not selected for Team India as a wicket-keeper in the first place although he seems to be relishing the opportunity at the moment.  “I am honestly loving it, in the international stage, it might look that I am new to wicket-keeping but I have done this role in the domestic circuit. I have done it for my IPL franchise”, said Rahul. 

Things were different when Rahul  Dravid shouldered the responsibility

Things were totally different in the past when Rahul Dravid had successfully shouldered the responsibility  despite not being a first choice wicket-keeper in the team. The then skipper Sourav Ganguly did not have many options when it came to wicket-keepers who can be a potent force with the bat.  Nor were there many  good  Indian all-rounders  to speak of in those days.

So when a world class batsman like Dravid shows willingness to don the wicket-keeping gloves for lending a balance to the team the captain cannot ask for more. Some would even say that the move also made sure that Dravid cemented  his place in the playing eleven.  The former captain `at that time did not boast of an impressive strike rate in ODIs as was expected from a number 3 batsman.

But Dravid became a lot more adventurous after taking up the wicket-keeper’s role and his strike rate improved a lot. He played 73 ODIs  as the designated wicket-keeper till the arrival of M.S.Dhoni.  Dravid completed 85 dismissals besides scoring 23,00 runs in those matches at an average of 44.23 . He even kept wickets in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa which Team India finished as runner-up.

Wicket-keeping seems to have helped  K.L. Rahul overcome lapses in concentration

K.L. Rahul was always a special talent with the bat. After all, nobody becomes the second-fastest batsmen in the history of cricket to score four centuries in ODIs on a fluke. He is also someone who scored centuries both on his ODI and T20I debuts. But somehow the Karnataka batsman was finding it hard to realise his true potential as an international cricketer.

The issue seemed more mental than technical. He was guilty of making poor shot selections especially after scoring the 30s and 40s. A sudden lack of concentration and Rahul would throw away his wicket. But wicket-keeping seems to have helped him overcome the lapses in concentration while batting.  

“ As a batsman as well, after keeping for 20 overs, especially you get a fair idea on what are the good shots on this kind of wicket and so I am enjoying the responsibility and so far so good for me”, Rahul had explained on how he approached the game as a wicket-keeper. It has no doubt also helped current skipper Virat Kohli to strike the right balance in the team.

Then where is the problem with K.L. Rahul continuing as wicket-keeper?

The move undoubtedly assures K.L. Rahul of his place in the team. “I felt like I was not getting enough game time, I was a part of the team for a long time but I used to get just a couple of games. As a batsman you need time in the middle”, emphasised the right hander. Then where is the problem with him continuing as wicket-keeper?

The former Indian wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia,who was replaced by Rahul Dravid behind the stumps, interestingly isn’t averse to the idea in T20Is but does not support it in ODIs. “He can be a good second wicket-keeper. He cannot be a permanent wicket-keeper in ODIs. T20s is still okay but not in ODIs”, Mongia had said.

Mongia is of the view that Rahul’s batting will be affected if he is made a regular wicket-keeper and considers him more important as a “batsman than a wicket-keeper batsman”. It is indeed understandable that the Karnataka batsman is touted as one of the most exciting batsmen in the world today and has the potential to reach great heights.

Former West Indies great Brian Lara also thinks that Rahul should not be bothered about wicket-keeping at all as far as the Indian team is concerned. “He is such a great batsman that I feel that he should concentrate on that and put in a lot of runs on the board”, Lara has been quoted as saying in the media  

Tough job which may take a toll on Rahul’s workload management 

The job of a wicket-keeper is probably the toughest one in cricket. One has to remain focused on every ball that is bowled in a match and at the same time it is physically exhausting. So, naturally it will be a huge task for somebody like K.L. Rahul to realise his true potential as a batsman if he is asked to carry on with the dual role.

 Nobody is suggesting that a wicket-keeper cannot become a successful batsman. Somebody like Adam Gilchrist is a legend in his own right both as a batsman and wicket-keeper. He was one of the most feared opening batsmen in ODIs. He also proved his mettle in Test cricket. Who can forget Kumar Sangakarra and Dhoni for being absolute champions in this regard?

But all of them were specialist wicket-keepers who had years of experience of managing their workload both mentally and physically right from junior levels. If K.L. Rahul had all along been a wicket-keeper than it would have been different. It means even if he adapts himself to the role there will always be a lingering doubt whether he can be better off just as a batsman.

Team India can explore other options   

In the current scenario Team India can explore other options for the wicket-keeper’s role. Rishabh Pant has been the frontrunner to take over the role in the recent past. The Team India think tank led by coach Ravi Shastri has reposed a lot of faith in him. But somehow Pant hasn’t been able to earn a permanent spot yet despite showing glimpses of his raw talent.

Sanju Samson is another exciting young cricketer who has the potential to establish himself as a wicket-keeper batsman at the highest level. He has already made a name for himself in the IPL as a hard hitting batsman. It is only a matter of capitalising the opportunities that come his way.

Dhoni did not play any match after the semi-final in the 2019 World Cup which the Men in Blue lost against New Zealand. However there was a strong possibility that the Ranchi cricketer could be a part of the Indian team in the T20 World Cup that was slated to be held  Down Under this year.

Impossible to find a replacement for Dhoni

 But the Covid-19 pandemic jeopardised the cricket calendar for 2020 and the T20 World Cup had to be postponed  by the ICC. Meanwhile speculations were rife on when Dhoni would announce retirement from limited overs cricket having already given up playing Test cricket in 2014. He finally bid adieu on August 15, 2020.     

 It is impossible to find someone who can fill in the huge shoes left behind by Dhoni. But the decision to carry on with Rahul as wicket-keeper comes with its own set of challenges. Wriddhiman Saha is one of the best gloves man in world cricket today. He  can be preferred over Pant in Tests at least for the time being. 

But Saha as a batsman has not been able to leave the kind of impact that one would have expected  him to. Also being someone who is on the wrong side of  the 30s as far as age is concerned the number of opportunities that are going to come his way will be no doubt limited. 

 Therefore in such a scenario the ideal thing for the Team India think tank will be to keep an eye on the future and look for options that can be considered as viable in the long run. It must also be taken into consideration that a batsman of a rare breed like  K.L. Rahul should not be overburdened with responsibilities that hamper his scoring abilities.