KS Bharat automatic choice for WTC final if India are looking to play genuine wicketkeeperMSK Prasad

By Akshay RameshFormer India wicketkeeper MSK Prasad backed KS Bharat to keep wickets for India in the World Test Championship final if the team is looking to play a genuine wicketkeeper in English conditions. However, the former chairman of the senior selection committee said that he believes the team will take a call depending on the conditions and the pitch in London.

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) on Tuesday, April 25 announced a 15-man squad with Rohit Sharma as captain for the much-anticipated WTC final. While Ajinkya Rahane returned to the side, KS Bharat was named as the designated wicketkeeper. KL Rahul retained his spot in the side despite his ordinary performances in the Border-Gavaskar series in February-March.

KS Bharat made his debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and managed 101 runs across 4 Tests at an average of 20. While 44 in the drawn Test in Ahmedabad was his top score in the series, Bharat showed flashes of his mettle with a handy knock in Delhi in an otherwise disappointing series with the bat.

The young wicketkeeper-batter, who had been catching the attention of selectors with consistent performances in the domestic circuit, got his opportunity in the absence of Rishabh Pant, who is on the sidelines after suffering multiple injuries in a horrific car crash in December 2022.

“See, again, what kind of conditions and what kind of pitch, all those things matter a lot in deciding the combination. If you are going for a genuine wicketkeeper, KS Bharat is an automatic choice. It will also depend on what kind of combination the team needs. If you are going for a genuine wicketkeeper, then obviously KS Bharat is the choice,” MSK Prasad told IndiaToday.in.

Quite a few, including batting great Sunil Gavaskar, have backed KL Rahul to play in the middle-order for India in the WTC final but the return of Ajinkya Rahane has made things interesting.

PRASAD PLAYS DOWN SKY EXCLUSION

Meanwhile, MSK Prasad played down the exclusion of Suryakumar Yadav from the WTC final squad, saying the World No. 1 T20I batter was picked for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as horses for courses for his ability to play spin well.

Prasad, who served as the chairman of the selection committee in the past, said Suryakumar can always go back to domestic cricket and put his hand up for Test selection if he is keen on playing in whites.

“I think he was picked because he can play spinners well here. None of our batters usually sweep against spin. Probably, at that time, selectors would have thought of horses for courses. No one in the country was doing that much well in the middle-order. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer’s absence were also a factor.

“At that time, they would have felt that he suited the Test squad. He is also the No. 1 player in T20 cricket, he was in very good nick. All these things helped him to find a place in the Test squad. Otherwise, he was not in the scheme of things for the longest time. It’s the conditions and the situations that would have compelled the selectors to pick him.

“If someone is very keen on Test cricket, then definitely he will go back like what Ajinkya Rahane has done or a Pujara has done. It’s all in his hands. He has been replaced by a wonderful player,” he added.