Former India player Sunil Gavaskar said that KL Rahul could be a good wicketkeeper-batter option for India for the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, he also feels Rishabh Pant should be the first-choice pick if he is fit enough to play as well.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show ‘Game Plan’, Gavaskar said, “I see him (Rahul) as a wicketkeeper as well but I will say one thing before that – if Rishabh Pant is fit on even one leg, he should come in the team because he is a game-changer in every format. If I am the selector, I will put his name first.”

The former India captain also said that KL Rahul is an enticing option if Rishabh Pant isn’t available.

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He added, “However, if Rishabh Pant is unavailable and KL Rahul keeps wickets, it will be good because the balance will also get created. Then you have the option to play him as an opener or use him in the middle order as a finisher at No. 5 or No. 6.”

Sunil Gavaskar also added that KL Rahul has improved his keeping. Rahul has scored 2,265 runs at an excellent average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 139.12 in 68 T20I innings. However, he has never batted below No. 4 in T20Is and that could be an issue for him to play in India’s T20 World Cup squad.

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“He is an all-rounder and he has improved his wicketkeeping so much. When he used to keep earlier, he was probably a slightly reluctant wicketkeeper, a keeper you could just manage with, but now he is a proper wicketkeeper,” Sunil Gavaskar concluded. “Competition between players is good. All three players are good. We have seen Jitesh Sharma. He is an impressive striker and finisher. In T20 cricket, wicketkeepers usually stay back and are rarely close to the stumps. So even if you don’t have that much wicketkeeping prowess but have batting and form, you can come in the team.”