With Rishabh Pant still in recovery, the wicketkeeper-batter mess is plaguing Team India in Tests. Injury-prone KL Rahul is out of question while KS Bharat has failed to impress with the bat. The other two options India have are Ishan Kishan and Upendra Yadav for IND vs WI Tests. However, Wriddhiman Saha does not feature in the list anywhere despite WTC Final failure.
As things stand, selectors and Saha have both moved on. It is youngsters who selectors are betting on with a focus on Pant’s recovery. That is one reason why Saha refused to be a part of the Duleep Trophy.
“We have to look beyond Wriddhi. No doubt, he is an excellent batsman and a better keeper. But he is 38. He can only be a stop-gap solution that we don’t want. We have to develop young talents like Ishan, Bharat and Upendra. They will fail more than others but they are the future,” a senior BCCI official explained to InsideSport.
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KS Bharat was primed to become a first-choice replacement. While he has been impressive with his glovework, his poor batting form has worried selectors. With 129 runs in 8 innings at an average of just 18.42.
But more than a handy gloveman, India are looking at a batsman who can keep. Hence, the next in line is Ishan Kishan, who is not as efficient a gloveman but an excellent batter. With West Indies unlikely to offer top-class pace bowling, it is going to be a good start for the youngster.
Ishan is already at the NCA, working on building up strength to keep in grueling Tests. If everything goes well, Ishan will be the first-choice keeper in place of Bharat for the two Tests against the Windies.
However, 26-year-old UP keeper-batter Upendra Yadav is another talent that BCCI is keeping a tab on. With a first-class average of 45.02 and List A average of 42.31, Upendra is primed to get a call-up for the West Indies series.
As for the squad itself, selectors will announce it next week with India travelling to the Caribbean islands on July 1.
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