WTC Final: KS Bharat would be obvious choice to go with, says Ravi Shastri

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has offered his views on wicketkeeper’s role in the World Test Championship final against Australia to be played in England next month.

Shastri believes that KS Bharat would be the “obvious choice” for the team management for the keeper-batter role at The Oval.

With key players sidelined due to injuries, which include Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, the Indian setup is in a tough spot with the important one-off Test against Australia on June 7.

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Shastri said since Bharat had kept wickets during the Border-Gavaskar series earlier this year, he expected the 29-year-old to get the management’s nod ahead of Ishan Kishan.

Shastri was asked about the wicket-keeper that India should go for in the latest episode of The ICC Review and said the choice depends on the conditions at the south London venue.

“See, that’s another tight one (decision). Now, if two spinners are playing, then you would want Bharat to play,” Shastri said as quoted by ICC.

“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.”

The second choice is the free run-scoring wicketkeeping batter Ishan Kishan. The young left-hander warmed the bench during the four-match Test series against Australia.

Shastri indicated that the playing conditions at the WTC final venue would ultimately decide which wicketkeeper ultimately gets to play.

“See, that’s another tight one (decision). Now, if two spinners are playing, then you would want Bharat to play,” said Shastri.

Though Bharat has played just four Tests, his domestic experience of 90 first-class games in the longest format could also tilt the scale in his favour. Kishan, on the other hand, is yet to make his Test debut and has 48 first-class appearances.

However, Kishan has accomplished more with the bat than Bharat, having scored an ODI double-century against Bangladesh in Chattogram late last year.

The left-handed batter also brings variety in an otherwise right-hand dominant batting line-up and the former India coach said there is not much separating the two cricketers.

“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,” said Shastri.

“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. So that you would leave to team management. Just before the game, they would weigh in just these little things that I’ve just said, and obviously look at current form,” he added.

However, Dinesh Karthik thinks the selection is a simple one, with the veteran wicket-keeper – who played in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore – choosing the experience of Bharat for the big occasion.

“I think Bharat will be a pretty straightforward choice because playing Ishan Kishan in his debut and a Test match straight in the World Test Championship final is asking a bit too much,” said Karthik.

“And the fact that KS Bharat probably tips the scale in favour of himself just a little bit with this keeping edge that he has got. So I do think they will go in with KS Bharat for the final.”

(With inputs from PTI)

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