The final call on who is going to play the role of India’s wicketkeeper-batter in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) is yet to be taken. Injury issues of several first-team players took the selectors to a position where they are still not sure about making a decision. While KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan have travelled to England, the call is yet to be taken on who will feature in the playing eleven among the two youngsters. Speaking about the topic on Star Sports, Harbhajan Singh preferred Bharat over Kishan. But the former Indian spinner said that his answer would be different if the BCCI would include Wriddhiman Saha in the WTC-bound squad. For a reason, Harbhajan underlined Saha’s rich experience in red-ball cricket.
For the past few years, Rishabh Pant has been the first-choice wicketkeeper for India in the longest format. The 28-year-old, however, remains out of cricket since suffering a number of injuries due to a road accident in December of last year. KS Bharat got the opportunity to replace Pant in the Border Gavaskar Trophy but could not impress with his performances. Although the management chose to go with Bharat in the WTC final, KL Rahul was likely to be the preferred option.
Things got more difficult after KL Rahul suffered an unfortunate hamstring injury during the IPL. The Lucknow Super Giants captain will need to undergo surgery to get fully fit. In his regard, Rahul pulled himself out of the WTC final. In this scenario, Ishan Kishan was called up as a backup wicketkeeper even though the youngster is yet to don the whites for India.
Terming KS Bharat a better choice than Ishan Kishan, Harbhajan Singh said that the BCCI could call up Wriddhiman Saha for the WTC final as the 38-year-old has got more experience in playing on the international level. “If KL Rahul was fit and there in the squad, I would have played him over KS Bharat as well," Harbhajan explained.
Wriddhiman Saha is out of the national squad since February of last year. At that time, he was dropped for a Test series against Sri Lanka on home soil, only to vacant the place for Rishabh Pant. Since then, Pant has remained constant in that role. Saha, however, has been brilliant in the domestic circuit during the last few seasons. He has also shown off his quality in the IPL 2023. Representing Gujarat Titans in 17 matches, Saha has struck 371 runs in total with his best score being 81.
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