Wicketkeepers who can pass the “Test” are what Team India desires

Head coach Rahul Dravid informed 37-year-old Wriddhiman Saha in January 2022 that the team management want to develop a younger wicketkeeper to be Rishabh Pant’s backup in the Test squad. When it comes to alternatives for wicketkeepers and batters, Indian cricket seemed to be well covered at the time. Particularly, KS Bharat has been one of the primary options.But in less than two months, and with the third Test against England starting in Rajkot a few days from now, Dravid and the selectors may well be reviewing the decision.

Although Bharat has always been a reliable wicketkeeper, his little output at the bat has raised concerns in a hotly fought series. What are the choices while Rishabh Pant is still recuperating from his injury?
A few years ago, the development of a generation of wicketkeepers was all but wiped away by MS Dhoni’s unchallenged position behind the posts. Something similar seems to be occurring this time, but just in the Test format.
Ishan Kishan’s prolonged absence from international cricket seems to have left few choices and resources behind the wickets. After Saha, Bharat has long been regarded as one of the top wicketkeepers.
In collaboration with the national selection committee then headed by MSK Prasad, Dravid worked on Bharat’s growth in the India ‘A’ program starting in 2017. Dravid held the position of chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). However, there have been obstacles in turning Bharat’s promise into reality.
The most difficult decision that captain Rohit Sharma and skipper Dravid must now make is whether to keep Bharat in the playing XI for the duration of the series.
In seven Test matches—six of which have taken place in India—he has a batting average of 20. Even though his wicketkeeping has often seemed to be technically solid, Bharat is under more strain because of the occasional error.

In his ten years in first class cricket, batting has never been his strongest suit, with an average of 36. Perhaps for that reason, the club management even demoted him to the eighth spot.
Dhruv Jurel is the only alternative option; however, he has only played in 15 first-class matches and has no genuine track record. In comparison, Pant’s first-class average of 39 over 50 games is much lower than even Ishan Kishan’s, who made his Test debut earlier.
Has Indian cricket failed to foresee this impending shortage of red-ball cricket wicketkeeping options?
“Given their years of investment in Bharat, India need to play him for the next Test. However, as time went on, things started to become worse, according to former Indian wicketkeeper and analyst Deep Dasgupta. Still, Bharat has to improve his batting style by properly putting his front foot forward and staying close to the stumps for quick bounces. It’s where he is encountering difficulties.

India’s “A” and U-19 red-ball programs fading away?
Devang Gandhi, a former India selector who was close to Dravid, notes that the ‘A’ curriculum played a major role in building the bench strength that led to the historic Test series victory in Australia in 2020–21. In addition to youth “Tests,” Dravid had made sure that the U-19 Indian teams participated in white-ball cricket.
Between the start of the domestic season and the IPL, David had scheduled “A” trips. We might raise Bharat in the same manner as Pant. We had the wicketkeepers figured out.
Ishan was forced to play red-ball matches even though he played a lot of whiteball “A” cricket. Gandhi told TOI that Sanju Samson was essentially a white-ball alternative.
It is imperative to bring back the “A” tours. However, the BCCI and selectors shouldn’t rely just on the white-ball pool. Red-ball cricket requires complete focus. Upendra Yadav was active last year, although Dasgupta said that he seemed to have gone away because of the absence of “A” cricket.

“First-class cricket wicketkeeping duties are being shirkened by IPL stars.”
Another concerning tendency is that players choose not to take on wicketkeeping responsibilities in domestic cricket when they advance to a higher level and become well-known players in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Throughout the previous five years, Samson has seldom taken wickets for Kerala, while Ishan still pays little attention to local cricket at all.
Gandhi recommends that the BCCI central contracts for these players be reviewed.
“During our term, this was starting to become a touchy subject. Players who have been capped for their country but do not participate in domestic cricket should face consequences in the next contract cycle. The board can only encourage veteran players to play domestic cricket in this manner, according to Gandhi.
Dasgupta, who had previously played for the Pune Warriors, brought up the intriguing condition that was added to IPL contracts.
“If a player didn’t participate in at least 60% of the domestic season’s matches, they had to get a NoC from state associations in order to play in the IPL. The BCCI has to enforce this once again with great firmness. Furthermore, Dasgupta said, “BCCI needs to increase first-class cricket player salaries so that an average player can earn at least Rs 30–40 lakh to match basic IPL salaries.”
The BCCI may need to start over with its development scheme, while the Indian Test squad could have to settle for temporary solutions till Pant recovers from his injury.