'If he doesn't fit in the team, then let it be'- Kapil Dev on star India batter's chances in the upcoming 'Ind vs Aus' BGT 2023

Kapil Dev on KL Rahul's entry into BGT Playing XI (Source: Twitter)

While team India has been preparing for the high-octave clash against Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the legendary Indian allrounder has been vocal about his views on the YouTube Channel, 'Uncut'. He first had strong opinions regarding Rishabh Pant's injury and the resulting issues in the middle order. This time, he talks about another possible wicketkeeping option, KL Rahul.

There has been a lot of debate about who should open the batting alongside Rohit Sharma. According to the World Cup winner, being the vice-captain of the side must not serve as an easy way into the Playing XI for the Bengaluru boy. Kapil Dev thinks it's essential for the captain and the management to understand what's better for the team and not focus on who the vice-captain is.

"Why can't he be dropped? There should be no such rule. You need to look at team combination, who do we need. It is not necessary. In Indian cricket, I don't think there is ever a vice-captain. Back in the day, we had a new VC in every Test match," the legend said on Uncut.

Kapil Dev feels KL Rahul should be up for wicketkeeping

The ex-Indian allrounder gave examples of how the legendary Rahul Dravid had to keep wickets to satisfy the team's combination. He feels KL Rahul should also be ready for this role if the team demands it from him.

Speaking on the same, he said, "He is a very mature player; I even like him; consider him to be a fine batter but if he doesn't fit in the team, then let it be. The team comes first, and I guess for that, the captain and the management need to take a call. Some players are lucky. Rahul Dravid, too played many such matches where he was made to keep wickets."

Here's the Indian squad for BGT '23: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, and Suryakumar Yadav.