Farokh Engineer Calls KL Rahul ‘Worth In Platinum’, Urges Team Management To Persist With KS Bharat In Tests

KL Rahul, who was a part of the Indian playing XI in the first Test against England, was ruled out in the second after complaining of right quadriceps pain.

New Delhi: Hailing KL Rahul as ‘worth in platinum’, legendary Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer opined the national team should give KS Bharat a longer rope as the specialist wicketkeeper in Tests. The 85-year-old also urged the Andhra Pradesh lad to work on his technique. Rahul, who is currently nursing a quadriceps injury, kept wickets in ODI World Cup 2023 and also stood behind the wickets in the two-match Test series against South Africa. But the Indian team management threw the gloves to Bharat for the ongoing five-match Test series against England.

Rahul, who scored 86 and 22 in the first Test against England, was ruled out of the second game in Visakhapatnam as he complained of right quadriceps pain, the same thigh which he got operated after IPL 2023. It is unsure if he will be back for the rest of the series .

“For a One-Day or T20 game, you could play with a batsman-keeper and get away with it. You know, like KL Rahul. He has improved over the years. He kept wickets quite well. He is not a brilliant wicketkeeper. But what a great, brilliant batsman he is,” Engineer said on the sidelines of a felicitation programme in Mumbai. “He is definitely worth his weight in platinum to be in the side and keep wickets.”

A former wicketkeeper-batter himself, Engineer stated that in Tests, a team has to field their best wicketkeeper who can bat also. Pointing out Bharat’s weak points, Engineer adviced the 30-year-old to work on his rise while collecting the ball behind the stumps.

“There are a few areas that I can (think of) straightaway. But you don’t like to tell them, in case they think you are trying to be big-headed. If he just rises slowly, I would prefer that. Once you get up quickly, it is difficult to go down again and you waste that fraction of a second. But if you get up gradually with the ball, then you are… things have got to be ironed out. But (then) he is the best around,” he said.

While Rahul has been in the mix for close to a decade now, Bharat made his India debut in 2023 during the Border Gavaskar Trophy at home against Australia. He was also a part of the Indian playing XI in the World Test Championship Final last year against Australia after Rahul opted out due to his IPL 2023 injury.