'Gautam Gambhir keen to give KL long rope': India coach confirms 'there's fight for a spot' between Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan

India coach confirms 'there's fight for a spot' between Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan (BCCI Photo)

Rohit Sharma-led Team India were handed a reality check by New Zealand in the opening Test of the three-match series played in Bengaluru. The hosts endured a eight-wicket loss, exposing the team's batting frailty in seaming conditions. The outcome exposed several areas, which otherwise were mostly overshadowed with a series of positive outcomes in all three-format. Out of the several burning questions one is KL Rahul's spot in the team. The star batter has been under the radar for long, and his failure in both innings only made the case worse.

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate was asked the same and the Dutch refused to sugarcoat and confirmed there is a selection battle between Sarfaraz Khan and Rahul. "There's no point in sugarcoating it, there's a fight for a spot," ten Doeschate told the media ahead of the second Test in Pune.

"Sarfaraz was obviously brilliant in the last Test. I went to KL after the last Test and said how many balls do you play at and miss at? He didn't play at and miss at one ball and that's what tends to happen when you're not getting runs. There's certainly no concerns about KL, he's batting nicely, he's in a good mental space. But we are 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," he said.

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Meanwhile, Sarfaraz failed to open his account in the first, when India were skittled for 46, but scored a sensational 150 in the second, an effort that saved India from a humiliating loss.

Meanwhile, the assistant coach also confirmed that head coach Gautam Gambhir is "keen to" give him a long rope. "It's not like we're worried about his form. If you go on just the past three months since Gauti has been in here, he's keen to give him (Rahul) as much rope as we can. We have a lot of faith in him," he said.

"But at the same time, it's a very competitive environment, with Sarfaraz getting 150 plus runs (222 not out) in the Irani Trophy final. The decision will be what's best for the team, but we'll certainly back all the guys in," he added.