'Ishan similar to Pant': India spinner's bold statement on Kishan vs KS Bharat debate ahead of IND vs AUS WTC final
KS Bharat made his debut in India's last series, which was against Australia at home.
The World Test Championship (WTC) final is round the corner and while almost every department appears sorted, India's wicketkeeping option remains a mystery. With KL Rahul injured, the slot for a specialist wicketkeeper is open with Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat being the two contenders. Bharat was a back-up wicketkeeper after the controversial exit of Wriddhiman Saha, but the unfortunate accident of Rishabh Pant has elevated the Andhra Pradesh gloveman as one of the main prospects. He also made his debut in India's last series, which was against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home.
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Ishan, on the other hand, is coming after a few impressive knocks in the Indian Premier League, where he accumulated 454 runs from 15 innings. In fact many have expressed that the left-hander's aggressive batting could prove to be an X-factor in the absence of Pant, who is recovering from his accident.
While we'll find the answer to the same on June 7, India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal feels that it is important to back both the players, also adding that it's a great opportunity for the duo to prove themselves in the red-ball setup.
"Rishabh is an attacking batter and of course, everyone is missing him. But you can't really do much about it and back the players who have travelled there. We have to back KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan. They have played a lot of cricket and are experienced enough. Ishan is somewhat similar to Pant. It's also an opportunity for them to prove themselves in the longer format," Chahal told News18 in an interview.
The concern however is that both Ishan and Bharat are new in the Test setup. While Bharat is four-Test match old, Ishan is yet to make his debut for India in the longer format.
