The highly anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia is scheduled to take place at the Oval in London from June 7. Unfortunately, KL Rahul’s absence due to injury has left India with a decision to make regarding the wicketkeeper position, with KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan being the contenders. Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of India, has shared his thoughts on this dilemma, highlighting that there is little that distinguishes Bharat and Kishan.
Bharat, who made his Test debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has been retained in the squad for the WTC final. Notably, he has served as a backup for the Indian team since Wriddhiman Saha’s departure. On the other hand, Kishan received his maiden Test call-up before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But did not have the opportunity to play as Bharat featured in all four matches.
During an episode of the ICC Review, Shastri expressed that Bharat had been given an opportunity against Australia and is the obvious choice for the WTC final. However, he also acknowledged that India could consider selecting Kishan, given his ability to bolster the middle order with his batting prowess.
“See, that’s another tight one (decision). Now, if two spinners are playing, then you would want Bharat to play. You have to see who’s a better keeper. Is it Bharat or Ishan Kishan? Now, the fact that Bharat was given a run against Australia, where he played all the Test matches, I think he would be the obvious choice to go with,”
Shastri said.
Ravi Shastri’s predicted XI
In Ravi Shastri’s anticipated lineup for the World Test Championship final, he chose two spinners and named KS Bharat as the wicketkeeper. Importantly, Bharat’s contribution has been significant. Both with his skills as a wicketkeeper and his batting performance, amassing 101 runs in six innings.
“There’s not much there. It’s not that one guy is far better than the other. Batting will also come into play, whether you want Ishan Kishan’s batting to shore up the middle order. That’s another thing you’ll take into perspective. Are you going to go with four fast bowlers? Then there’s not much spin and you just need someone decent behind the stumps to do the job,”
Ravi further added.
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