Rahul sits in the third position with Aaron Finch, who completed his 1,000 runs in 29 innings.
Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
The focus is to bring momentum back into the Indian dressing room: Morne Morkel
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Kohli and Rohit -- at least in two formats -- in this interim period.
Kuldeep bowled the best ball to beat me in drift and my hands followed: Stubbs on his dismissal
Kuldeep was instrumental to India's success at the Asia Cup, topping the wicket-taking chart with 17 wickets. Chopra explained the rationale behind dropping the left-arm wrist spinner, attributing it to batting depth.
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill spoke on the team dinner hosted by head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday
Nitish flaunted his six-hitting muscle in the first innings and showed signs of living up to the belief that the former Indian skipper has exuded in him. After being put to bat by Australia, rain interrupted the play on four instances, and the Indian team toiled for rhythm as well as runs.
KL Rahul and Shubman Gill stood tall, not with fireworks, but with grit and grace, forging a 174-run stand that reminded fans of the game's old soul - and drew admiration from the likes of Sanjay Manjrekar.
'We did go through a few name books that friends sent over. Then I googled 'Evaarah' and looked up the meaning.'
He contrasts that with Pakistan's past batting line-ups.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Monday.
With the pitch here not assisting the spinners so far a great deal, Rampaul expressed his surprise.
The Indian squad, which is expected to comprise 16 members, will be one of the trickiest ones in recent times as there is a debate around who the new captain should be.
Punjab Kings's Director Of Cricket Operations Anil Kumble said the franchise was keen to retain captain KL Rahul but the Karnataka right-handed opted to go back into the auction pool.
KL has answered his doubters emphatically in this series, registering at least one fifty-plus score in every Test so far.
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
Abhimanyu Easwaran made the future path all the more tough with his second duck of the match, while Sai Sudharsan concluded his lukewarm preparation for the South Africa Test series with an underwhelming 23 off 38 balls.
It was also his third hundred in the last seven innings after going past three digits against Australia A at Lucknow and the West Indies at Ahmedabad.
Kohli was happy that Rahul batted at No 5 and also kept wickets
'Coaches, captains are constantly being asked a lot of questions. It almost, after a point, feels like you are being questioned as to "Why did you make this change? Why did he play in the XI? Why is it that the opposition got 200 and we couldn't even get 120? Why are their bowlers getting more spin?"' 'These are questions that we never get asked throughout the year, right? Because the coaches who are there know what's going on. You are only answerable to the coaches and the selectors, who have all played cricket and understand the nuances of the game.'
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
Ben Stokes, the man who had earlier lit up the field with a sensational century, didn't bowl a single over.
Yashaswi Jaiswal advance two slots to fifth after notching 175 in the first innings of the New Delhi game while KL Rahul's knocks of 38 and 58 not out lifted him two places to 33rd.
Australia's stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh continued his fine run of form on Sunday, scoring 46 not out and leading his side to a seven-wicket triumph over India in the weather-affected first one-day international at Perth Stadium.
'Of course, when you face a quality bowling attack, they can more often than not get the ball in the danger area and it does too much for you. And unfortunately, that's been the case today.'
Dhruv Jurel made a strong case for his continued presence in the senior Test eleven with his second hundred in as many innings against South Africa A while fortifying India A's position on the third day of the four-day match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
India wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul says he is the "most comfortable" playing as an opener in the T20 format as it gives him the chance to make the 'best impact'.
The short turnaround time from the high of winning a controversy-marred Asia Cup notwithstanding, Shubman Gill's India will be outright favourites against a struggling and under-strength West Indies when the teams face-off on a green-top in the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Delhi Capitals' marquee signing KL Rahul is expected to miss the first two matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
Simon Harmer picked up four wickets as South Africa staged an incredible fightback to shock India by 30 runs in a low-scoring first Test match.
'...the guys who are just part of Test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important.'
Star India batter K L Rahul on Thursday tested positive for COVID-19, which is likely to rule him out of the upcoming five-match T20I series against the West Indies, starting on July 29.
Senior batter Virat Kohli's awesome genius in 50-over format was on full view during his 52nd hundred that guided India to a strong 349 for eight against South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series in Ranchi on Sunday.
KKR, CSK to engage in bidding war in IPL mini-auction with big purse in hand
While Rahul, who can bat practically anywhere in the line-up, is likely to succeed Rohit as Jaiswal's opening partner, either Gill or Karun Nair is likely to fill the void of Kohli at number four.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test between India and West Indies in New Delhi on Monday.
'As much as we may want, unka number itni aasani se nahi aayega (It's not going to be easy for Rahul)'
Skipper Shubman Gill had a long batting stint while the troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel returned to action for India's final training session here on Wednesday before the first Test against the West Indies.
