KS Bharat or Ishan Kishan, who should get a chance in the first Test? Ravi Shastri told his choice

India vs Australia 1st Test, KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan: A four-match Test series will be played between India and Australia from 9 February. Before the first Test to be played in Nagpur from Thursday, everyone wants to know who will replace the injured Rishabh Pant in Team India? Meanwhile, former head coach Ravi Shastri has given his choice regarding the wicketkeeper.

Ravi Shastri believes that he will give a chance to the better keeper between KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan for the wicket-keeper batsman’s slot in India’s playing XI ahead of the opening Test against Australia.

Significantly, due to injuries in the car accident, Rishabh Pant is away from the field for an indefinite period. In such a situation, India has to choose between two uncapped wicketkeepers Bharat and Ishaan before the opening Test against Australia starting on February 9 in Nagpur.

Ravi Shastri said, “If it comes to picking either Ishan Kishan or KS Bharat, I think what you have to do is how the pitch is going to play. I will see if it is a turning pitch, then I will think about giving a chance to a better wicketkeeper. It will have to be decided by the team management.

The former head coach further said, “A better keeper because players like Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akshar Patel will need a good keeper behind the stumps, as it will also increase the confidence of the bowlers.”

Talking about Rishabh Pant, Ravi Shastri said, now it is going to be a really tough decision. How important is Rishabh Pant? He does both the jobs well behind the stumps, not only has his keeping improved a lot, but he is a match winner as a batsman.

Shastri said, but as a batsman, he is so dangerous that he can turn the game at any time. In fact, he has played more match-winning innings in the last two-three years than the top five Indian batsmen combined. His absence is a big blow.

Let us tell you that since 2020, Rishabh Pant has scored the most runs for India in Tests, with 1517 runs in 38 innings at an average of 43.3. In the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Pant scored 350 runs in four matches, including 159 not out in Sydney. Pant also took 20 catches in this series.

At the same time, in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Pant scored 274 runs in three matches at an average of 68.50, besides taking eight catches. He stunned fans around the world with his innings of 97 in Sydney and 89 not out in Brisbane, helping Team India chase down 328 to win their second consecutive 2-1 series in Australia.