Since Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the Word Test Championship (WTC) final, Team India has been struggling to decide on his replacement. Two young wicketkeeper-batters- Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat- jetted off to England for the major red-ball assignment. But among these two youngsters, who would get a place in the playing eleven is still not quite certain. Amid talks over the matter, Matthew Hayden has shared his preference, keeping Kishan ahead in the race. According to Hayden, Kishan would be a better fit in the role as the 24-year-old’s inclusion would bolster the Indian batting unit. Bharat, on the other hand, might be a good choice as a gloveman. But Hayden seemed to be not sure about the youngster’s batting prowess.
During an interaction with the PTI, Matthew Hayden labelled Rishabh Pant’s absence as “one of the big losses to Indian cricket." Pant has been India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the longest format. Since he met an unfortunate road accident in December of last year, the team management has not been able to find a proper replacement for the 25-year-old.
KS Bharat was named the designated wicketkeeper of the WTC-bound squad, while KL Rahul was expected to serve as a backup option. The scenario changed after Rahul picked up a hamstring injury while fielding for his IPL side Lucknow Super Giants last month. The Indian opener would need to undergo surgery to get fully recovered, missing the WTC final.
Ishan Kishan, who is yet to make his red-ball debut for India, is more deserving to fill the shoes of Rishabh Pant, according to Matthew Hayden. “If I was an Indian selector, I would go with Ishan Kishan, who is a more dynamic wicketkeeper-batter and can add a bit of swagger to the batting unit and the fielding department as well," the former Australian opener explained.
Ishan Kishan has already announced himself in the limited-over formats. Since making his ODI debut in 2021, Kishan has played 14 50-over games in the Blue jersey and has aggregated 510 runs in total. He seems to be more comfortable in the shortest format. After playing his first T20I against England in 2021, Kishan has represented India in 27 T20Is, scoring a total of 653 runs.
The WTC final between India and Australia will begin on June 7 at the Kennington Oval in London.
Comments
0 comment