Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar expressed disappointment with wicketkeeper KS Bharat’s batting performance in the first two Tests against England. Manjrekar, 58, believes Bharat has not lived up to expectations after replacing Ishan Kishan during the Test series against South Africa.
The former India batter has urged the Indian selectors to select keepers who can make batting contributions, especially with Rishabh Pant poised to return to the team once fully recovered. Manjrekar made this statement after Bharat failed to score a single fifty in the two Tests against England.
“It’s a lot like he’s playing his first series. He’s played before, he played all four Test matches against Australia and Rishabh Pant is due to come any time soon. So, I am not sure whether it is worthwhile and makes sense to keep investing in KS Bharat. He’s also not 20 years old and India had moved on from KS Bharat and gone to Ishan Kishan. So he’s done just enough to maybe just keep his place in the side. This team management believes in being fair to every individual, but I would personally look at another option before Rishabh Pant comes in and takes his place,” Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, Bharat accumulated only 101 runs across four matches against Australia, registering a top score of 44. His performance in the World Test Championship final saw him scoring five and 23 runs respectively.
” India will start looking at KS Bharat whether his keeping is that good we can afford to have somebody who is not contributing as much with the bat. India of late and the world over, if you see is going for keepers who are decent good keepers but contribute with the bat. I mean look at Rishabh Pant in the last 3-4 years, his contribution with the bat. So, those are things that India will have to look at,” Manjrekar added.
