KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan vying for No. 5 spot in India's Test team© BCCI/Sportzpics
As the Indian team management mulls its options in the middle order for the second Test against New Zealand, all eyes are on the battle between KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan. The latter scored a brilliant hundred in the first Test against Kiwis but there are suggestions that he could be dropped from the team as Shubman Gill returns. Sarfaraz found a place in India's XI after Gill's injury. Now that Gill seems to be fit, chances are high that Sarfaraz will go back to warming the bench while KL Rahul, a batter who hasn't been in form for a long time, will retain his place.
If Team India's net sessions are to be considered as hints, the fact that Rahul batted for hours does boost his selection chance. Sarfaraz, on the other hand, was reportedly nowhere to be seen in the practice session on Tuesday.
Rahul also said to have asked India's bowling coach Morne Morkel to bowl to him in the nets as the batter wanted to prepare for tall pacers that the Blackcaps have in their team.
Earlier, Team India's assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate also hinted at Rahul's continuity in the team despite his form concerns.
"Yeah, there's no point in sugarcoating it. There's a fight for a spot (between KL and Sarfaraz)," said ten Doeschate, while allaying concerns over Rahul's form.
"Sarfaraz was obviously brilliant in the last Test. I went to KL after the last Test and said: 'how many balls did you play and miss at?' He didn't play and miss at one ball and that's what tends to happen when you're not getting runs. He got the two balls in the game; one caught down the leg side and one that he managed to nick. So, there's certainly no concerns about KL. He's batting nicely, he's in a good mental space, but yeah, we're certainly going to have to fit seven pieces into six spots for this Test and look at the pitch now and decide what's going to be best for the team."
Ten Doeschate had also hinted that both Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, two of India's injured stars, are likely to be fit for the second Test in Pune.
"He's (Gill) batted last week in Bangalore, he had a few nets," said ten Doeschate. "He's got a little bit of discomfort, but I think he will be good to go for the Test," he asserted.
"Rishabh's pretty good. I think Rohit (Sharma) touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed he'll be good to keep in this Test as well," said the Dutchman.