On Day 3 of the ongoing first Test match between India and New Zealand, Wriddhiman Saha was not on the field. The veteran wicket-keeper batsman had a stiff neck which kept him out. Hence, it was KS Bharat who donned the gloves and he was brilliant behind the stumps.
The 28-year-old Andhra cricketer was superb throughout the third day, which saw variable bounce and turns as well from the spinners. The ball was keeping quite low from time to time, and Bharat adjusted really well. He took a couple of catches and also affected a smart stumping.
Hence, it was no surprise that he received praise from all corners. Former India cricketer and current commentator VVS Laxman mentioned that the current Indian coach Rahul Dravid hyped up Bharat well before this game.
Bharat is yet to make his Test debut but has been around the fringes of the Indian Test team for the last couple of years. He has also been in the India A side for a while now and has fared quite well.
“I still remember Rahul Dravid raving about KS Bharat’s wicketkeeping skills. He told me that Bharat has good keeping skills, next only to Wriddhiman Saha in Indian cricket,”
Laxman was quoted saying during a post-day show on Star Sports.
Laxman continued heaping laurels on Bharat and explained how he didn’t panic and also the need for a reliable wicket-keeper in spin-friendly conditions.
“In these quality spin conditions, if you don’t have a reliable wicketkeeper then you’re going to miss a lot of chances. What we saw today was great technique and great presence of mind, he didn’t panic at all for someone who has come into this team recently and got to play only because Saha was injured,”
he added.
Bharat has been around for a long time now and has played first-class cricket for more than eight years. He has featured in 78 first-class matches and has amassed 4283 at an average of 37.24, which includes nine hundreds. He was also impressive in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League.
