Will Ishan Kishan replace KS Bharat in India’s playing XI for 4th IND vs AUS 2023 Test?

One of the biggest predicaments for Team India heading into the fourth Test against Australia is whether to back KS Bharat as a keeper-batter or hand a red-ball debut to Ishan Kishan.

After Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a car accident he suffered towards the end of December last year, Bharat was handed his much-awaited Test debut in the first match of the series in Nagpur.

The 29-year-old Andhra stumper has been excellent behind the stumps on tricky surfaces. Banking on his domestic experience, he has looked in control while keeping to the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel.

His lack of contribution with the willow has become a matter of big debate in Indian cricket ahead of the fourth Test against Australia, which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

In five innings, Bharat has managed a mere 57 runs at an average of 14.25, with a best of 23 in Delhi. According to various media reports, the Indian think tank is pondering replacing Bharat with Kishan for the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

Apparently, due to the 'poor' rating received by the Indore pitch that was used for the third Test, a 'rank-turner' is unlikely to be prepared for the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. In that case, there is a decent chance of Kishan coming into the playing XI in place of the struggling Bharat.

The possible move, however, comes with its own risks. The left-handed batter, who smashed the fastest double hundred in men’s ODIs last year, hasn’t been in great touch in white-ball cricket.

He has a highest score of 37 in his last nine innings and has been dismissed for single-figure scores five times. Kishan’s struggle against spin could also be a factor as he has looked out of sorts against slow bowlers a number of times.

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“Need to put batting performance in perspective” - Rahul Dravid backs Bharat over lack of runs

Speaking ahead of the fourth Test, head coach Rahul Dravid defended Bharat over his failure to come up with decent contributions with the willow.

While praising his keeping in the series, the Indian legend stated that the cricketer has not had much luck with the bat. At a press conference, Dravid commented:

“We we are not (concerned) and it again comes to a question of perspective and understanding of some of the challenges and conditions that he has kept in and even though it’s not a big contribution but he got 17 in the first innings.

“Got a nice contribution in Delhi where he played positively, and you need a little bit of luck in these conditions and he hasn’t probably had that, and he is shaping really well and keeping really nicely for us. So we need to put batting performance in perspective."

Incidentally, Dravid spent a lot of time with Kishan in the nets on Tuesday, March 7, even as Bharat was rested from the optional practice session.