The Indian and Australian teams are set to meet each other in less than a week in Nagpur for the first of the four matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia is on the brink of getting qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC 2021-23) whereas India has to thrash the Aussies by 3-0 or 3-1 to be in the final of WTC.
A modern-day classic clash that has been heavily inclined in India’s favor as India has won 3 back to-back Test Series against Australia. Rishabh Pant has been the team’s X factor and main test batter who is capable of turning a match at any point. Add his exceptional wicket-keeping skills into the fray and the package is hard to replace. But a horrific road accident to batter has left India looking for options in the form of Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat.
Saba Karim Bothered for Wicket-keeper’s slot
Filled with big names at the top, India’s main concerns lies lower in the order. Former Indian cricketer and selector Saba Karim believes that inexperienced wicketkeeping options can prove to be a weak link for the men in blue as both Ishan and Bharat are uncapped.
“One spot that Australia would want to exploit is that of the opposition wicketkeeper. Rishabh Pant has changed the face of Test cricket for India and I hope they don’t feel the pinch of his absence.” said Saba Karim.
The Ishan Kishan-KS Bharat Conundrum
Looking for right replacements, the two wicketkeepers in the Indian squad are Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat. While Bharat has been a regular in the long format domestically, proving himself as the better keeper. The right handed batter is someone who could hold one end and make the bowlers frustrate
The peculiarity of Ishan Kishan is that he could help in the better balance of the team as he is the only left handed batter in the middle order. A rookie to international test cricket, the 24-year-old has enough experience in list-A with more than 3,000 runs batting at no.6.
Ishan Kishan, Pic Credits: Twitter
2014-15 was the last time Australia held the prestigious trophy, since then the Indian side have seen some major changes mainly in their mindset and attacking approach which has borne great results in the longest format of the game.