In the India team for the fourth IND vs. AUS 2023 Test, will Ishan Kishan take the place of KS Bharat?
Prior to the fourth Test against Australia, Team India must decide whether to use Ishan Kishan in his red-ball debut or to back KS Bharat as a keeper.
Bharat made his long-awaited Test debut in the first match of the series in Nagpur after Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a car accident.
The Andhra stumper, who is 29 years old, has performed admirably behind the stumps on difficult surfaces. He has maintained the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel while relying on his domestic experience.
Before the fourth Test against Australia, which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, his lack of contribution with the willow has become a major topic of discussion in Indian cricket.
Bharat has scored just 57 runs over five innings at an average of 14.25, with a best of 23 in Delhi. The Indian think tank is reportedly considering substituting Kishan for Bharat for the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 test.
A “rank-turner” is unlikely to be prepared for the fourth Test in Ahmedabad due to the “poor” rating of the Indore pitch used for the third Test. If that’s the case, the struggling Bharat could be replaced by Kishan in the starting lineup.
However, the potential move carries its own risks. The left-handed batsman, who scored the fastest double hundred in men’s one-day internationals the previous year, has not performed well in white-ball cricket.
In his last nine innings, his highest score was 37, and he has been run out five times for single-digit runs. Kishan’s struggles with spin may also be a factor, as he has frequently appeared out of sorts when faced with slow bowlers.
Rahul Dravid Backs Bharat
Head coach Rahul Dravid defended Bharat in an interview ahead of the fourth Test, saying, “Need to put batting performance in perspective.” Dravid was referring to Bharat’s inability to produce decent contributions with the willow.
The Indian legend acknowledged that the cricketer has not had much success with the bat while praising his keeping in the series. Dravid made these remarks at a press conference:
“We are not (concerned), and once more it comes down to perspective and comprehension of some of the difficulties and conditions he has endured. Even though it was not a significant contribution, he scored 17 runs in the first innings. He made a positive contribution in Delhi, where he played well. In these conditions, luck is required, which he probably hasn’t had, but he is shaping well and keeping well for us. Therefore, we must contextualize batting performance.”
Interestingly, on Tuesday, March 7, Dravid and Kishan spent a lot of time together in the nets, even though Bharat was rested from the optional practice session.