India vs Bangladesh: Does KL Rahul deserve a place in India’s playing XI?

The Indian national cricket team has announced its squad for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh, starting on September 19, 2024, in Chennai. This will be the team's first Test series under Rohit Sharma since their victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where they defeated South Africa by 7 runs. Prior to this, India played a five-match home Test series against England, which they won 4-1. However, the Men in Blue enter the series on the back of a 2-0 loss in a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, also at home.

KL Rahul, who made his return to the Indian team during the ODI series against Sri Lanka, has once again been backed by the BCCI and Indian selectors for the red-ball series against Bangladesh, alongside Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel. Rahul struggled with form in the previous series, contributing to India’s loss to Sri Lanka. However, after an average performance in the domestic Duleep Trophy, where he scored 37 and 57 runs for India A against India B, he was selected for the Bangladesh series.

Despite his poor form in the Sri Lanka series, Rahul has been given another opportunity to prove his worth in a busy Test schedule for India, which includes series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, followed by the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia for the ICC World Test Championship.

But the question remains: does KL Rahul truly deserve a place in the Indian team? Let’s examine the records of the Karnataka-born cricketer.

In the absence of star Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant, Rahul was India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman in major events like the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, where India lost in the final to Australia. Rahul finished the tournament with 452 runs in 11 games at an impressive average of 75. Apart from Pant, India also tried Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan in the middle order, which turned out to be a smart decision. Both performed brilliantly in the home Test series against England, scoring 199 and 200 runs, respectively.

Given the current situation, where Rishabh Pant made a strong return in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, and young batters like Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel have taken on responsibility well, it might not be necessary to include KL Rahul in the squad. However, his selection could be justified by his experience. With 50 Test matches and 8 centuries to his name, including 7 overseas centuries and 1 in India, Rahul's experience could prove vital, especially as India faces tough assignments ahead, including series against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia, followed by England before the World Test Championship.