KS Bharat was very close to making the cut in Test squad: Chief selector MSK Prasad
The BCCI announced India's squad for the West Indies tour in August on Sunday. Selectors decided to give rest to some of the key players like Jasprit Bumrah (in ODIs and T20Is) and Hardik Pandya (in all three formats) after a gruelling ICC World Cup in England where Team India was eliminated in the semi-final.
Team India will play 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs and 2 Test matches on the Windies tour that starts on August 3 with the first T20I match in Florida, USA. Virat Kohli will lead the team in all the three formats, earlier it was speculated that he will be rested for the Caribbean tour.
In the Test squad, experienced glovesman Wriddhiman Saha made his comeback into the squad. He played his last Test match in South Africa back in January 2018. Rishabh Pant is the other wicketkeeper in India's Test squad, who has performed consistently well at overseas soil in red-ball cricket.
During the press conference, BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad also mentioned about another wicket-keeper batsman from the domestic circuit - KS Bharat and said he was very close to making the cut.
“We have taken the India A performances into consideration. The performances of Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey have been phenomenal and so has been Navdeep Saini. Also, in the longer format, it was KS Bharat who was very close to being selected,” Prasad said at the press conference.
“It is a norm that when a senior or established player makes a comeback from injury, he is given a chance in the team. So that’s how we have given a comeback opportunity to Wriddhiman Saha. But, I can tell with the stellar performances that KS Bharat has been doing in India A - he has scored three centuries and taken almost 50 dismissals - he was very close to making the cut,” he added.
KS Bharat is touted as very bright talent in Indian cricket but unfortunately, he is yet to make his international debut. With India A, Bharat has been in golden touch and has scored 6 runs with three centuries and two half-centuries, took 41 catches and effected six stumpings in 11 games.
