'Expect Indian management to give him more chances' - Saba Karim picks KS Bharat over KL Rahul as wicketkeeper for WTC final

After a mediocre performance with the bat in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, KS Bharat’s future in Test cricket is now a mystery. Even behind the stumps, he looked pale at times as Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar pointed out in the fourth Test against Australia. Thus, ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, the think tank needs to sort this problem out as players like Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul are currently waiting in the wings.

Notably, Rahul has been brilliant with the bat playing in England and thus, he might make his way back to playing XI replacing Bharat. However, when it comes to keeping, he is yet to prove himself in red-ball cricket. Talking about the same, former India selector Saba Karim stated that the team management may trust Bharat with the responsibility as they have dealt well with youngsters in the recent past. He also reminded that keeping in England will not be easy for Bharat, but eventually backed the Andhra star to do well.

“Eventually, that is up to the team management (who will keep in the WTC final). But I feel the way the Indian team management in the recent past has dealt with youngsters, they have offered them a lot of security. They have created a conducive environment for them to grow. And they have not been very harsh in terms of performances, because they believe that they have invested heavily in a youngster, who has come to this stage and made a debut in a Test match,” Karim was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

There are always areas of improvement for Bharat: Karim

Bharat performed well during the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy. Though he made some mistakes behind the stumps, it was his first Test series for India and a stepping stone in his career. Bharat proved to be impactful with the bat too, and Saba Karim believes that there is a scope of improvement for the wicketkeeper-batter.

“I do expect the Indian management to give more chances to KS Bharat. The conditions are extremely challenging, it is not easy for a young wicketkeeper to do well in these conditions. And in some of the Test matches he has been quite good behind the stumps. There are always areas of improvement for Bharat. But the way I look at it, if one has spent so much time in the growth of a young cricketer if you have prepared him through different kinds of challenges, whether it is from first-class cricket to India A, then I think it makes sense to give him some more opportunities, to kind of secure him into the side,” the 55-year-old added.

Notably, India will take on Australia in the finals, which is slated to begin on June 7 at The Oval in London. After a hard-fought draw in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Rohit Sharma-led side made it to the summit clash for the second straight time.

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