Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed his opinion on retaining KS Bharat as the wicketkeeper batter for the upcoming Test against England. Aakash Chopra stated that KS Bharat deserves continued support if he does his job well behind the stumps.
KS Bharat was recalled to the Indian team for the home Test series after missing the South Africa tour. The Andhra batter was named as the wicketkeeper alongside Dhruv Jurel. Bharat was included in the playing XI during the series opener, given his international experience.
The 30-year-old got starts but failed to go past the half-century mark. The right-handed batter has scored 92 runs in four innings at a disappointing average of 23.00. KS Bharat has taken six catches behind the wickets in the five-match series against England.
KS Bharat Is A Very Decent Batter – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted KS Bharat‘s performance in the Hyderabad and Vizag games. He emphasized Bharat’s recent form for India A and recommended sticking with him if he continues to excel as a wicketkeeper.
“It’s very good if a keeper scores runs. However, he hasn’t played that badly as well, especially if you see the Hyderabad game. He was playing okay even in the first innings in Vizag. You get him to bat down the order. You are thinking about whether you can send him at No. 9,” Chopra said.
“So when you are not expecting too many runs from him, I feel the thinking is wrong. He is a very decent batter. He recently scored runs for India A against the England Lions. I am not going to say that he is a very ordinary batter. If he is keeping well, please stick with him,” he added.
Team India secured a 106-run victory against England in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were instrumental in India’s success. Bumrah earned the Player of the Match award for his impressive nine-wicket haul.
We Don’t Play Spin That Well Now – Aakash Chopra
In response to a query about India’s struggle against England’s spin bowlers, Aakash Chopra pointed out that extensive exposure to turning pitches has impacted their ability to play spin effectively.
“It’s because we don’t play spin that well now. We don’t dominate spin as much as we used to. The second aspect is that we have played so much on turning pitches that we aren’t used to playing for long,” Chopra stated.
England’s spinners, featuring Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, and Joe Root, have outperformed the Indian quartet of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav. English spinners took 33 wickets, while Indian spinners bagged 23.
India and England are tied at 1-1 in the ongoing five-match Test series. The third Test is set to begin on February 15 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. Both teams will be eager to secure a crucial victory and gain an advantage in the series.
Also read: Sanjay Manjrekar slams KS Bharat, says India should look for other option