Pant, Saha and Rahul: Who should be India's wicket-keeper in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

India and Australia face off in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting on the 17th of December, and Virat Kohli's men head into the 4-Test series with an objective they've never had before. For the first time in history, India will look to defend the crown that they won on Australian shores.

India will face their fair share of challenges in the Test series. Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma are reportedly slated to miss at least the first two matches, while captain Kohli will fly back home after the first Test on paternity leave. The first game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be with a pink ball, and the Aussies are the clear favourites in that encounter.

If India are to mount a serious challenge against the hosts, they'll have to get their team selection spot on. And one of the biggest dilemmas that they face is that of the wicket-keeper slot, which has Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha and KL Rahul in contention.

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Who should be India's wicket-keeper for the Australia Test series?

Pant has been in and out of the Indian Test team

Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant have jostled for a spot in the Indian Test team for a few series now, with Kohli and the team management yet to arrive at a clear decision regarding who the first choice is.

Saha suffered an injury during the recent edition of the Indian Premier League and is currently in Australia recovering from it. The veteran keeper was in excellent form in the few games that he played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and is undoubtedly one of the best in the business behind the stumps.

However, Saha's skills in front of the wickets haven't been enough to justify his inclusion in the playing XI. He averages a meagre 30.19 in the longest format of the game, and in the 3 games that he has played on Australian soil, he has scored only 35 runs at an average of 18.5.

Pant, on the other hand, is different in almost every way. The Delhi gloveman had an IPL campaign plagued by poor form and injury, and his poor strike rate and solitary fifty did nothing to further his credentials as an international-level player.

However, Pant has a stellar record in Australia that more than makes up for his relative lack of safety with the gloves. In 4 Tests, the southpaw has scored 350 runs at an average of 58.33 and has taken as many as 20 catches.

Pant's contributions were instrumental in India winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy back in 2018/19, and although he hasn't been included in the white-ball setups, he can be trusted to capitalise on his success Down Under.

Saha might be a better option on the slow, low dustbowls of India and the seaming, green strips in England, but Pant is a good enough wicket-keeper for the pace and bounce of Australia. Moreover, in the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India will need to beef up their batting order significantly if they are to put up big totals.

As a result, Pant - being a left-hander as well - should win the battle between these two wicket-keepers.

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Where does KL Rahul fit in?

Rahul has been made the vice-captain of the limited-overs sides in the absence of Rohit Sharma

For the first time in his international career, KL Rahul is close to establishing himself as a regular in all three formats. Had Kohli and Rohit been available for the entirety of the series, he might not have gotten an opportunity in the red-ball games.

But now, with Pant and Saha having their own drawbacks, Rahul has a genuine case to be made the keeper in Test matches. He has proven himself to be capable behind the stumps in white-ball cricket, and has kept wickets once in Tests before.

However, Rahul is the first-choice keeper for both the ODIs and T20Is, and will have already played 6 games in a short span by the time the Border-Gavaskar Trophy commences. The Kings XI Punjab skipper has also been made the vice-captain of the white-ball teams, and has a lot on his plate as far as responsibility is concerned.

This, coupled with the fact that he's been a safe catcher at second slip for India in Tests, leads us to believe that Rahul will be used as a specialist batsman in the longest format of the game.

Verdict: Rishabh Pant to keep wickets for India against Australia, KL Rahul to play as a specialist batsman