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'KL Rahul se achha Rohan Gavaskar ko khila lo' - Fans react as Sunil Gavaskar picks his India's playing XI for Test Championship final, includes KL Rahul as WK

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar named his Indian XI for the summit clash and here is how fans reacted to it.

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Rohit Kumar
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KL Rahul and Sunil Gavaskar (Source - Twitter)

KL Rahul and Sunil Gavaskar (Source - Twitter)

The Indian team for the Test Championship final was announced on Tuesday, April 25. After a long time in Team India, experienced batsman Ajinkya Rahane returned. He remains at the center of discussion. Rahane was selected after a stellar performance in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy followed by the ongoing IPL 2023. 

Meanwhile, former legendary Indian cricketer Sunil has picked his India’s playing XI for the final against Australia which will be played on June 7 at the Oval. He has selected Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as openers followed by Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Rahane. For wicketkeeping, Gavaskar has chosen KL Rahul in place of KS Bharath. He picked Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj as the bowling options.

"Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will be my opening picks, Cheteshwar Pujara at three, Virat Kohli at four, Ajinkya Rahane at five, KL Rahul at six who'll keep the wickets as well. Then there will be Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, followed by Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, and Mohd Siraj," revealed Gavaskar while speaking on Star Sports.

Rahane finds himself in the squad not because of his current IPL form: Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar noted that Rahane's selection was likely the only adjustment that the team needed, noting that it was also based on Mumbai's strong Ranji Trophy record, not simply Rahane's performance in the IPL 2023. One of the reasons was also Shreyas Iyer's replacement.

"That was the only change needed for the Indian side. They needed a replacement for Shreyas Iyer. Ajinkya Rahane finds himself in the WTC squad not because of his current IPL form, mind you, he was in a pretty decent form in the Ranji Trophy. He did very well for Mumbai in the domestic season. The question now is in the final eleven, who's going to be playing? Whether it will be KS Bharat the wicket-keeper or KL Rahul. We'll just have to wait and see," he further added.

Here’s Sunil Gavaskar’s playing XI for WTC Final: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul (Wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj

Here’s how fans reacted:

India Sunil Gavaskar Australia