"Worth his weight in platinum to be in the side and keep wickets" - Farokh Engineer backs KL Rahul to be India's white-ball wicketkeeper

Former Indian wicket-keeper Farokh Engineer backed KL Rahul to continue as the gloveman for the side in the white-ball formats.

Rahul kept wickets for India in last year's ODI World Cup and the following 50-over series against South Africa. The 31-year-old also continued behind the stumps for the South Africa Tests after Ishan Kishan pulled out a few days before the game.

However, the team management decided against Rahul keeping wickets in the red-ball format and played him as a specialist batter in the first Test of the ongoing series against England.

In an interaction after his felicitation at the Bombay Gymkhana, Engineer said:

"For a One-Day or T20 game, you could play with a batsman-keeper and get away with it. You know, like KL Rahul. He has improved over the years. He kept wickets quite well. He is not a brilliant wicketkeeper. But what a great, brilliant batsman he is. He is definitely worth his weight in platinum to be in the side and keep wickets."

However, the former wicket-keeper added that in Tests, India must field a specialist wicket-keeper rather than a batter who can keep wickets.

"But (for Tests) You got to have your best wicketkeeper. You got to have wicketkeeper-batsman instead of a batsman-wicketkeeper. Of course, everyone is required to bat these days. In the opinion of selectors, Bharat is a better ‘keeper, is he?," said Engineer.

Rahul is currently nursing a quadriceps injury and was ruled out of the ongoing second Test against England at Vizag.

Meanwhile, KS Bharat has kept wickets for India in the series thus far, with youngster Dhruv Jurel as the backup option in the squad.

"If he just rises slowly, I would prefer that" - Farokh Engineer on KS Bharat's areas of improvement

India v England - 2nd Test Match: Day Two

Farokh Engineer pointed out certain areas of improvement for KS Bharat behind the stumps, pointing out how a quick rise from the original wicket-keeping position leads to an extra second being wasted.

Engineer was one of India's first star wicket-keepers and played 46 Tests and five ODIs.

Speaking on what Bharat can do to improve his wicket-keeping, he said:

"There are a few areas that I can (think of) straightaway. But you don't like to tell them, in case they think you are trying to be big-headed. If he just rises slowly, I would prefer that. Once you get up quickly, it is difficult to go down again and you waste that fraction of a second. But if you get up gradually with the ball, then you are… things have got to be ironed out. But (then) he is the best around"

Bharat is playing only his seventh Test for India and has struggled with the bat thus far, averaging 21.50 with no half-centuries.

However, the 30-year-old has effected 16 catches and a stumping behind the wicket in his Test career.