Rishabh Pant, the keeper-batsman, has played an important role in India’s recent Test triumph. His explosive hitting drew similarities to Australian star Adam Gilchrist and his hero MS Dhoni. There were concerns about his keeping abilities at one point, but he worked exceedingly hard to address such flaws.
Since making his Test debut in August 2018, the left-handed hitter has delivered some of India’s most impacting hits in the red ball format. Pant produced a thrilling 97 against Australia in Sydney in January 2021, followed by a legendary 89* at The Gabba. To demonstrate his adaptability, he hit a century against England in Ahmedabad on a turning surface, as well as hundreds in Cape Town and Birmingham.
Unfortunately for India, Pant has been out of action since a horrible vehicle accident on December 30, 2022. It’s no wonder that India has suffered in the goalkeeping department during his absence. at December 2022, the 26-year-old played his final Test against Bangladesh at Mirpur. Here’s a look at how many keeper-batters India has tested out during Pant’s absence, and how they’ve performed.
1. Srikar Bharat
Srikar Bharat started his Test cricket career in Australia, in Nagpur, in February 2023. The series had just begun, with four matches in all. Bharat, the Andhra native, demonstrated decent keeping. But, his batting skills needed improvement.
This promising cricketer competed in the entire Border-Gavaskar 2023 Trophy series against Australia. During his first Test run in Nagpur, Bharat could score only 8 runs, though India emerged victorious with a lead of an innings plus 132 runs. In later games, the 30-year-old player achieved scores of 6 & 23* in Delhi, and 17 & 3 in Indore. In the last series, Bharat managed to score 44 in Ahmedabad. But, sadly, he couldn’t turn that start into a higher total.
Bharat was retained in the playing XI for the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval. He was once again unhappy with the willow, scoring 5 and 23 as India lost to Australia by 209 runs, their second World Cup final in a straight.
He was sidelined during India’s 2023 games in West Indies and South Africa. But the wicket-keeper batter showed up in the initial two Tests of the current series against England.
He played well in both matches but continued to disappoint with the bat. Bharat scored 41 and 28 in Hyderabad, and 17 and 6 in Visakhapatnam. He was then dropped from the third Test at Rajkot, which started on Thursday, February 15.
In seven Tests, Bharat has scored 221 runs at an average of 20.09, with a high of 44. In first-class cricket, he has 5,101 runs in 96 matches, including 10 hundreds.
2. Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan was named keeper-batsman in the Indian playing XI for the two-match Test series in the West Indies in July 2023. The left-hander made his Test debut in the series’ first game at Windsor Park in Roseau, Dominica.
Kishan was superb behind the wickets, but he appeared hesitant with the bat. He got 1* from 20 balls in his debut Test batting for India, as the tourists triumphed by an innings and 141 runs.
In the second Test at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the Jharkhand player showed much more confidence with the willow. He scored 25 off 37 in the first innings and followed it with an aggressive 52* off 34 in the second innings.
Kishan was part of India’s Test team for the series in South Africa, however he withdrew due to personal issues. It was then revealed that he had requested leave owing to exhaustion concerns. The 25-year-old has fallen out of favor subsequently, with team management making it obvious that he would need to play more cricket before being considered for selection again.
3. KL Rahul
While Bharat was selected Kishan’s successor in the Indian team for the Tests against South Africa, KL Rahul ended up handling the keeping responsibilities. The seasoned batsman shined in Centurion, scoring a solid 101 in the first innings before getting removed for four in the second. Rahul was out for eight in his lone innings in the second Test in Cape Town.
In terms of keeping, he was brilliant behind the wickets, taking three catches in the first Test and five in the second. Prior to the home series against England, Indian coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma revealed that Rahul will not be keeping wickets in the five-match Test series.
4. Dhruv Jurel
Dhruv Jurel is India’s fourth keeper-batsman since Pant’s last Test game. The Uttar Pradesh stumper received his Test cap for the present match in Rajkot.
The 23-year-old has appeared in 15 first-class matches, accumulating 790 runs at an average of 46.47. He has one hundred and five fifty to his name. In India A’s second unofficial Test against South Africa A in Benoni, the teenager hit 69 off 166 balls.
Jurel also scored 50 off 38 deliveries during India A’s two-day tour match against the England Lions in Ahmedabad last month.
