Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has gone back on backing KS Bharat for the keeper’s role in his Indian XI for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final against Australia, which will be played on June 7-11 at the Oval in London.
The Indian team until Saturday was training in Arundel, and has now shifted their preparation to The Oval, the venue for the final.
Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat are the two candidates for wicketkeeper, however, there has been much discussion over this decision. In India's red-ball setup, Ishan and Bharat are both raw, which has made the decision much tougher
Sharing his views on the same, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh feels India should hand Ishan a debut and called him a “direct replacement for Rishabh Pant.” Harbhajan passed the verdict in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
"Why Ishan Kishan should be considered ahead of Bharat? I think this will add more strength to batting as Ishan Kishan can tackle the new ball much better than Bharat. He is an opener too and is in good form. So if the second new ball is introduced after 80 overs and Ishan walks out to bat he can play as an opener.
Rishabh Pant is an explosive batter and Ishan also has the same quality. Although Bharat is superb behind the wickets, I don't have much confidence in Bharat's batting,” said Harbhajan on his YouTube channel.
However, if many remember, a few days back, Harbhajan Singh had backed KS Bharat for the keeper’s role.
“No, I don't think so. KS Bharat has been playing for India now. If it were Wriddhiman Saha, then I would say yes, play him. He has more experience and he's a better keeper. If KL Rahul was fit, I would've played him over KS Bharat as well,” Harbhajan said during a conversation on Star Sports.
