Up to team management: KS Bharat on possibility of Shubman gill replacing KL Rahul in 3rd Test against Australia

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], February 27 (ANI): India wicket-keeper batter KS Bharat has made his presence felt in this series with the bat as well as behind the stumps. On the other hand, KL Rahul has had a series to forget. His performance in this series has not helped his selection at all. With the likes of Shubhman Gill warming the bench, there have been questions about whether Gill should be given a chance ahead of KL Rahul or not. On this Bharat made his stance clear “That is team management’s call, not mine.”

India will play their third match against Australia on 1st March at Holkar Stadium. Earlier, speaking on the ICC podcast, Ravi Shastri backed Shubman Gill to challenge Rahul’s position in the Indore test. But there has been no official confirmation by the management or the players.

The Indian batter also spoke about his approach in the pre-match interview, Bharat revealed his approach to scoring runs on the tricky Indian surface. “So for me, the key for any batsman is obviously you have to be a little positive on these wickets. As a batsman, you have to look for scoring opportunities because, at the end of the day, this game is all about getting runs. So that is what I told myself and this is what the management also told me back your shots. The intent is never a problem. The shot selection is very important.”

Srikar Bharat has played 88 matches in First Class cricket and he has scored 4744 runs which include 9 centuries and 27 half-centuries. In List A the 29-year-old batter has featured 64 times and has scored 1950 runs. His highest score in this format is unbeaten 161 runs.

Bharat has already proved his worth at the domestic level. But his call-up in the Indian squad was a bit sudden as Rishabh Pant is still sidelined due to his car accident. Among all the other alternatives the management decided to go with Bharat. In the press conference, Bharat shared some details about his mindset when he heard about his selection.

“As a player, you always want to play and you always expect the opportunity to come and knock on your door in some way or the other. For me yes I have always prepared myself for any opportunity and I have been practising for India A and domestic you want to be there you want to play for your country that’s the biggest occasion for any player.

So yes if any opportunity is there I will take it,” he said

KS Bharat is another player who has climbed through the ranks to make his place in India’s playing 11. After years of waiting, Bharat finally got the opportunity to showcase his talent in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Even though he was unable to score runs in the first test match. Bharat displayed his true potential as a wicket-keeper batter in the second test match’s second innings with his unbeaten innings of 23(22).