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Ahead of the all-important World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia, wicketkeeper KS Bharat had a deep conversation with none other than MS Dhoni, who is widely considered the best wicketkeeper of all time in international cricket. He has not played any Test cricket outside India and speaking to Dhoni really helped him understand the English conditions, he revealed to the ICC.
“Recently during the IPL I had a word with Mahendra,” Bharat told the ICC in an interview with Sanjana Ganesan at The Oval. “He (talked about) his experiences keeping in England as well as what would work the best for any wicket-keeper. It was a very good conversation and there were a lot of insights from that.”
He also took Dhoni's name when asked what makes a good wicket-keeper. “It’s the awareness – the best example is MS Dhoni, the awareness he has in keeping is outstanding," Bharat said. “You need intent and passion to be a keeper, because keeping is a thankless job. You keep 90 overs in a Test day and you have to be concentrating ball by ball, so you have to accept the challenges and embrace it and be really passionate about contributing to the team.”
Bharat has been drafted into the team as the replacement for Rishabh Pant, who suffered a major accident at the end of 2022 and is out of action for the foreseeable future. He made his debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and played all four Tests against Australia in India.
Ahead of the WTC final, India also have the option of playing Ishan Kishan in the side, but handing him his debut in the all-important fixture might not be the most feasible option.
Meanwhile, the WTC final starts on Wednesday, June 7, at The Oval. Team India will be looking to go one above their opponents, given that the last time they travelled to England for the WTC Final in 2021, they were beaten to the title by New Zealand.
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