KL Rahul's purple patch has solved multiple issues for India

The tall right-handed batsman who can keep wickets in crisis has now turned the tables to become India's prioritised wicketkeeper in both the limited-overs format within a span of a few weeks. It was not long back when his spot in the playing eleven was under question.

None of us would have expected that the bigger pair of gloves in his kit, hidden at the corners would get dusted and would help him seal a spot in the team, KL Rahul himself wouldn't have thought the same even in his wild dreams.

Not only his keeping skills but even his recent form with his newly stickered bat has earned him the spot he is right now in. From a time where most of us felt, are we expecting too much from Rahul to the current scenario where we have started comparing him with his legendary namesake! It proves that he has regained his midas touch indeed.

After a forgettable 2018, India's latest wicketkeeper-batsman slowly started building his form through the 2019 World Cup. His ton against the Lankans during the World Cup anchoring his innings alongside Rohit Sharma seems like the turning point of his career when we look back now. From then on KL Rahul seems to have got into the right frame of mind as Dhawan's injury was a blessing in disguise for him as it provided him enough match time as well.

KL Rahul post the 2019 World Cup

KL Rahul has been phenomenal post the 2019 World Cup

After World Cup, till the recently concluded 3-match ODI series against Australia, Rahul has played 7 ODIs scoring 332 runs at an average above 47. Which is more than his overall ODI career.

T20I has been his format of choice for the last 2 years. With his form back, he was more than consistent in T20Is as well, scoring 471 runs in 11 innings at an average over and above 50. These 11 innings consists of six 50+ scores highest being 91 against West Indies at Mumbai.

The red ball (pink ball as well) seems to be the only one left yet to be conquered by India's latest Rahul from Karnataka. As Rohit Sharma's top order promotion yielded twin centuries in the longer format of the game, he has not only sealed his spot but has also restricted the in-form Rahul to get into the already jam-packed Indian top-order. But it won't be a concern for anyone including KL himself considering his new responsibilities as India's preferred gloveman over many others.

Also see – India vs New Zealand schedule

Rahul the all-rounder

Pant's injury forced a way for Rahul's glovework

Rahul's prime upgrade started when Pant was ruled out of the second match of the recently concluded 3-match ODI series against Aussies after getting hit on the helmet by a bouncer off Pat Cummins. His concussion forced KL Rahul to pick up the gloves for that ODI alone. After his decent work behind the stumps and an astounding 80 runs off the bat, he was asked to repeat the same for the rest of the series even though Pant got back fit within a couple of days.

Now for the ongoing New Zealand tour as well Rahul has been roped into the playing eleven instead of Pant. Virat Kohli feels it is tough to keep Rahul out of the eleven considering what he brings to the team. Floating in the batting line-up from middle-order to top order to opening then back to the middle-order and now as a wicketkeeper-batsman Rahul has indeed been tested enough for the team to now trust his temperament.

Rahul's purple patch has answered a lot of unanswered questions indeed - first choice wicketkeeper-batsman, middle-order crisis, T20 opener alongside Rohit Sharma and a few more.

Wicket keepers apart from Rahul in line for the upcoming T20 World Cup

Now the headache is only for the Indian selectors' panel, coaches and Virat Kohli as they need to circle down 2-3 wicketkeepers including the reserves for the upcoming T20 World Cup starting in October 2020. Apart from Rahul, there is an aggressive southpaw Pant, promising but inexperienced Sanju Samson, experienced but in vacation MS Dhoni and not to forget the experienced and streetsmart Dinesh Karthik who all are in line for the same spot.

Note: All statistics as of January 27, 2020

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