'Cannot just put a finger...': Former wicket-keeper batter highlights a glaring issue in Indian cricket

Ever since Rishabh Pant suffered the horrific car accident, the Indian cricket team has tried different wicket-keepers in all three formats of games. However, the management is yet to find a stable keeper especially in Test cricket. India has played more than 10 Test matches in Pant’s absence and the likes of Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, and K.S. Bharat have been given the responsibility with the gloves behind the wickets.

The 25-year-old Kishan played as India’s wicket-keeper batter in Tests during the West Indies tour and he did a decent job with both bat and gloves. However, he requested a break on the South Africa tour and KL Rahul kept wickets in the two Tests as India needed batting depth.

Thereafter, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid-led Indian team management along with selectors decided to trust KS Bharat with the wicket-keeping job on Indian pitches against England despite having KL Rahul in the squad.

Though Bharat managed to do a decent role with the glove, his batting has been very poor in the ongoing Test series against England. After playing seven Tests, Bharat averages a shade over 20 with the bat which isn’t great and head coach Rahul Dravid too admitted that KS hasn’t grabbed his opportunities

There were calls to pick Ishan but his return to the team depends on him getting game-time on the domestic circuit as the Jharkhand cricketer continues to be on a break.

Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel, who plays for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket and Rajasthan Royals in IPL, is all set to make his India debut in the third Test in Rajkot. With Jurel being the latest, India has had many wicket-keepers across formats in the last year or so, which shows instability.

However, former India wicket-keeper batter Parthiv Patel feels that it’s difficult to have the same wicket-keeper batter for all formats in modern-day cricket. He is not sure if a wicket-keeper batter can do that job for India at present.

“… you give me a name who has been playing all three formats in the last couple of years. Not even Virat Kohli. Not even Rohit Sharma has played that. They have taken those breaks just like Bumrah. It’s not that we need or there should be a change. It’s just that we need to reform it.

I don’t mind if a specialist is doing the job in that particular format. That’s exactly what you want at that point of time. And if someone is doing the job for you in that particular format, you stick to it. Pujara has done that for 100 Test matches he has played. Like, you know, you need one decade in between. But, mainly, he was a Test specialist. So, if you have someone who can do that job, why not?

But, at this point of time, it doesn’t matter. I am definitely looking for a stable keeper. And I also cannot just put a finger on someone and say, okay, he is the guy,” Patel told Sportsnow.

Parthiv, who is an expert on JioCinema and Sports18, and also doing commentary in the ongoing series, believes that Pant did a great job in Test cricket but Bharat has disappointed everyone with his batting performances.

“Obviously, Rishabh did what he could do in test cricket. He obviously had done the job which you were asking about, who can do the job. But that unfortunate accident came in which you can’t do anything about it.

With regards to KS, I thought he kept the wickets brilliantly so far in this tournament. Yes, you still want runs from it, without a doubt. Now that we all have been talking about standards and we all have been talking about the keeper being an all-rounder. People expect him to score runs,” the former India wicket-keeper batter said.

“And if people are talking about KS Bharat’s lack of runs. Then, I don’t think anyone is wrong in that. He needs runs. But, his wicket-keeping has been brilliant so far in this series. And even when he kept wickets against Australia last year, where he played those four test matches, he was outstanding.

So, there is no question of his wicket-keeping. But, without a doubt, if he gets an opportunity, he needs to score runs. Without a doubt,” he added.

It will be interesting to see what Jurel does for India, who are facing a tough Bazball challenge at home in the ongoing five-match series