'With all due respect to KS Bharat...': Former India selector identifies Pant's 'ideal replacement' for Australia Tests
India could be on the lookout for a new Test wicketkeeper during the Border-Gavaskar Series in February.
India could be be on the lookout for a new wicketkeeper batter for their upcoming Test series against Australia if Rishabh Pant doesn't recover form his horrific car crash. Pant is undergoing medical care after suffering an accident while driving on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in the early hours of Friday.
KS Bharat has often taken Pant's place as wicketkeeper in recent Test matches but former India selector Saba Karim feels that the 29 year old may not be the ideal replacement. Instead, Karim said that Ishan Kishan seems a better candidate for the position due to his tendency to score quickly like Pant.
“I agree that KS Bharat is being groomed for the Test keeping role. But with all due respect to him, I feel Ishan Kishan is more suitable as an ideal replacement for Pant, considering the kind of role that Pant was playing in the Test team. He is playing the Ranji Trophy and has scored a hundred at quick pace,” said Karim on India News.
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Kishan is currently favourite to open the Indian innings with captain Rohit Sharma in limited overs cricket after he scored a record breaking double century against Bangladesh earlier in the month. While he is yet to play a Test match, Pant is a regular for Jharkhand, whenever available, in the Ranji Trophy. He recently scored a century against Kerala just days after he had scored the double century against Bangladesh.
“We were winning Tests due to Pant’s presence because not only was he playing match-winning knocks, but was doing them at a quick pace. This was transferring pressure on the opposition, while also giving bowlers time to take 20 wickets. Kishan hasn’t played red-ball cricket for India A, but he has been playing domestic red-ball cricket for a few years,” said Karim.
