"He's been playing for a while" - Harbhajan Singh gives his verdict on Ishan Kishan vs KS Bharat debate for WTC final
Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh thinks KS Bharat, and not Ishan Kishan, should keep wickets for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. The summit clash will begin on June 7 at the Kia Oval in London.
In Rishabh Pant's absence, India kept Bharat and KL Rahul in the squad as wicketkeepers. But Rahul injured his thigh during IPL 2023 last month and Kishan was called-up as his replacement. While he is yet to make his Test debut, Bharat did so recently, playing all four Tests of the 2022-23 Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Answering a fan question on Star Sports, Harbhajan said he would have preferred both Wriddhiman Saha, who has been out of favor since 2021, and Rahul over Bharat but not Kishan.
"That's because KS Bharat has been playing for a while," he said. "Had Wriddhiman Saha been there, I would have said he should play because he's more experienced and a better wicketkeeper. If KL Rahul was fit, I would have played him ahead of KS Bharat at No. 5-6 because he's an opener and his game is good. He would've been my wicketkeeper too."
Bharat didn't impress much with his batting against Australia, scoring 101 runs from six innings at an average of 20.20. However, he's considered a safer wicketkeeper and has played almost double first-class matches than Kishan.
This debate came up when former Australia captain Ricky Ponting advised India to play Kishan, saying he could be the 'x-factor' because of his aggressive batting.
"Depends on the pitch" - Harbhajan Singh opines on the bowling combination
For the bowling combination, Harbhajan Singh said he would pick two spinners (read Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja) only if the pitch is dry and the conditions are hot.
"It depends on what the pitch says," he said. "If the weather is hot and the pitch doesn't have much grass, then play with two spinners. Otherwise, play with three seamers, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur, who'll both bowl and bat."
In the last WTC final against New Zealand at Southampton's Ageas Bowl in 2021, India played three seamers and both Ashwin and Jadeja and lost by eight wickets.