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KS Bharat Or Ishan Kishan? Nayan Mongia Picks Favourite Against Australia In WTC Final 2023
Since KL Rahul was ruled out of WTC final due to injury, there has been a lot of debate as who among Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat would make the India playing XI.
New Delhi: Former India wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia has given his vote of confidence for KS Bharat over yet-to-debut Ishan Kishan during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Oval starting on June 7.
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Ever since KL Rahul was ruled out of the WTC final due to injury sustained during the Indian Premier League, there has been a long debate as who will keep behind the stumps against Australia. While Bharat looks obvious because of his ‘little’ experience, several former cricketers have also weighed on Kishan due to his attacking batting approach.
Having played in English conditions, Mongia stated India should stick with Bharat as the Duke ball is expected to swing and do a lot more. “I would play Bharat as a specialist keeper in England because he has done well.
“One bad match doesn’t make him a bad keeper. He is a specialised keeper; he has been doing well over a period of time. Whatever limited chances he has gotten in the Indian team, he has done reasonably well to retain his place,” Mongia told Star Sports.
Bharat recently made his Test debut for India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home and played all the four games. Kishan too was in the Indian squad but didn’t get a game.
The Andhra Pradesh keeper, who was a part of the Gujarat Titans squad in IPL 2023, is one of the top wicketkeepers in the country. Although Bharat needs to work a lot more in batting, that will definitely get sorted out with more game time.
Keeping in England is one of the toughest jobs in the world, and Mongia eplained why he picked Bharat over Kishan.
“Conditions in England… it is one of the most difficult places to keep wicket. The ball wobbles a lot, dips a lot especially in the first half.
“You need to get up with the ball, have to watch all 90 overs. We are going to play Test cricket with the Dukes ball. It’s a little harder compared to the Kookaburra. The seam is upright, so the ball swings a lot.
“I know how hard it is because we played the World Cup and it really thumps your palm and it really hits your gloves. It’s an added advantage for bowlers since the ball remains hard for a longer time,” he pointed out.
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