Is it time for India to consider KS Bharat as their backup wicketkeeper?
KS Bharat donned the wicket keeping gloves for the Indian side in the 1st Test against New Zealand in the absence of Wriddhiman Saha last month. Saha was reportedly suffering from a neck sprain. Bharat did a fabulous job behind the stumps and drew praises from various quarters for his tidy work with the gloves.
Now, the question is, is it time for the Indian side to consider Bharat as a backup wicket-keeping option (Rishabh Pant is the first-choice keeper) going forward?
Bharat boasts of a good first-class record. The right-hander has played 123 innings in first-class cricket and has scored close to 4300 runs at an average of 37.24. He has also amassed 9 hundreds and 23 fifties.
In List A cricket too, the 28-year-old averages above 30, and has scored over 1500 runs. Also, in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Bharat stepped up for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) side when they needed him to. Against the Delhi Capitals side, the RCB outfit were chasing a target of 165 for victory, and the equation came down to five runs needed off the final delivery.
KS Bharat in the last 2 matches in the Vijay Hazare 2021-22:
161*(109) vs Himachal Pradesh
156(138) vs Gujarat (second highest score is just 34 for Andhra)— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 14, 2021
Bharat smacked a superb six under pressure off the final ball of the match to seal the deal for his side. Bharat was the catalyst of RCB’s victory in that match, scoring a superb 78*. He anchored the chase, manoeuvred the field, displayed a cool head and finished the job. Apart from that, Bharat also chipped in with handy contributions (44 off 35 against RR), and (32 off 24 against MI) in the 14th IPL edition, and on both occasions, the RCB side won the match.
Also, Wriddhiman Saha is already 37 years old and is in the final leg of his career. And, this is the right time for India to give Bharat a chance in the side as a backup keeper, especially in Test match cricket. Bharat is smart with the bat, can pick the gaps on the field, can rotate the strike, and can also absorb the pressure.
And, of course, he can do a good job behind the stumps as well. Surely, the time has come for India to try out Bharat as a backup wicket-keeping option going forward.
