South Africa vs India: How will KL Rahul do in his new wicketkeeper-batter role in Tests?

However, there soon came a sharp decline in his batting output, so much so that he went from captaining India against Bangladesh in the two-match Test series earlier this year to losing his spot to Shubman Gill for the third Test against Australia in Indore.

Things looked even bleaker for Rahul with the rise of Yashasvi Jaiswal. But the doors have opened again for him in red-ball cricket, even if in a different role this time.

Rahul has not kept wickets in a Test. But his recent World Cup performances behind the stumps show he is ready to take up the challenge in red-ball cricket.

“It’s an exciting challenge and an opportunity for him to do something different. The opportunity came up with Ishan (Kishan) not being available. We have a couple of ‘keepers we can choose from. Rahul is certainly one. He’s very keen on giving it a go,” head coach Rahul Dravid said in the lead-up to the Centurion Test.

Decision Rahul System

During the third ODI against South Africa in Paarl, there was an instance when there was a dilemma amongst players on whether to go for the review of a not-out decision on a Washington Sundar delivery to Wiaan Mulder. Just before time ran out, skipper Rahul, who was keeping wickets, decided to go upstairs, and there was the tiniest spike on Ultra Edge.

In another instance, Kuldeep Yadav bowled a delivery that spun sharply and went past Charith Asalanka’s bat during the Asia Cup in September, and ricocheted off Rahul’s gloves to slip fielder Rohit Sharma. The bowler and skipper were adamant about taking a review as they believed there was an edge, but Rahul was against it. Rohit sent it upstairs nevertheless, but Rahul was proved right as Ultra Edge showed nothing.

Rahul has not kept wickets in a Test. But his recent World Cup performances behind the stumps show he is ready to take up the challenge in red-ball cricket. (Reuters)

Both these examples show Rahul’s judgement and calmness in taking such vital decisions, even when his teammates may have a different opinion. He seems to have the ability to take emotions out of DRS discussions.

“It’s quite tough. You cannot always be perfect when you’re taking those calls. You have 15 seconds, and you don’t have much time to make that decision … You have three DRS’, but only once can you take a chance. For the next two, you have to be spot-on,” Rohit would say earlier this year during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and this is where Rahul’s quick thinking has helped the team immensely in recent times. One has seen how his inputs helped the skipper during the 50-over World Cup, and are likely to be invaluable in the upcoming series as well.

The 31-year-old showed considerable improvement behind the wicket during the World Cup. His catching and ball-stopping were top-notch, given the amount of swing Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Jaspirt Bumrah were extracting under lights while defending totals. The challenge for him in South Africa would be that the red ball swings for longer. Can he maintain concentration for extensive periods? Dravid also mentioned the variable bounce on South African pitches, which would add to the challenge.

Dealing with the second new ball

Rahul has shown the technical prowess needed to score runs in challenging conditions. However, his unquestionable talent has not been converted into substantial numbers. How can a player as talented and technically sound average 33.44 after 47 Tests?

However, Rahul would be hoping a change in position will bring a change in fortune as it did for him in ODIs. One of the critical phases of play, especially in overseas Tests, is when the fielding team takes the second new ball. KS Bharath, the other option in the squad, has shown he is a decent gloveman, but his batting has not assured the team he could deal with the second cherry.

So much so that former head coach Ravi Shastri had even opined that Rahul should have taken up the role behind the stumps as it would bolster the batting in the World Test Championship final despite not having the experience of doing it.

“India can bolster their batting if Rahul can keep wickets. Rahul can bat in the middle order — No. 5 or 6. In England, you generally have to keep wickets from far behind. You don’t have to keep to the spinners a lot,” Shastri would say in March. If not for an injury suffered during IPL, it may have happened.

Rahul’s new batting position would also need him to bat with the lower order. Given his pragmatic approach to the game, there might not be a better candidate right now who could strike the right balance between taking the aggressive route and playing the waiting game in such a situation.