For the first two Tests against England, India has picked three wicketkeeper-batters - KL Rahul, KS Bharat and the uncapped Dhruv Jurel. The team thrust Rahul into the unfamiliar role of being designated wicketkeeper for India's tour of South Africa, as conditions weren't much in favour of spinners.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now that India is back home, there is a consideration of using a specialist keeper who can handle turning pitches and uneven bounce against Ashwin, Jadeja, Patel, and Yadav. This theory brings Bharat and Dhruv more into the mix.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"When I read the squad after it was announced, I was very surprised over three keepers being picked. But I believe it\u2019s clear that Rahul will be considered as a batter and not as a keeper in this series, as in Indian conditions, they are looking at a proper keeper who can also bat.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Yes, Rahul was considered as a keeper for the South Africa Test series as there isn\u2019t much role of spinners in overseas conditions and keeping wickets to spinners is comparatively a tougher task,\" said Ajay Ratra, former India wicketkeeper-batter, in an exclusive conversation with IANS.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With Rishabh Pant sidelined due to a horrific car accident nearly a year ago, Bharat stepped up as India's wicketkeeper in Tests. Later on, Ishan Kishan and Rahul became India\u2019s wicketkeepers for Test matches in the West Indies and South Africa, respectively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite not making significant contributions with the bat in five Tests, Bharat's extensive experience as a wicketkeeper in 82 first-class games in India, along with his impressive unbeaten 116 against England Lions in the first four-day match for India 'A' at Ahmedabad, solidify his position as a strong contender for the wicketkeeper\u2019s role in the Hyderabad Test.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ratra opined India is using horses for course policy while adding that Bharat\u2019s runs with the bat will hugely interest the team. \"Bharat has been in the scheme of things in Test cricket for a long time, but he got chances on and off. Keeping wise, he\u2019s very good and has a very neat collection of the ball. In whatever Tests he\u2019s played for India so far, he\u2019s kept well in turning conditions.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"But the Indian team will have expectations from him in terms of his batting returns. They would wish for him to excel more with the bat as this is the era of all-rounders and the team management would want for him to contribute with both bat and gloves for the team. His century against England Lions showed that he\u2019s in great form,\" he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The wicketkeeper\u2019s batting returns in India\u2019s playing eleven has gained more importance in light of the talismanic Virat Kohli pulling out of the first two Tests due to personal reasons. \"The wicketkeeper batting at number six, seven and eight becomes very important, especially when it comes to facing the second new ball. It then becomes a phase from where he can take the game anywhere via a knock of 50-60 runs or play long and get a century.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The things which Rishabh Pant has done with the bat in Test cricket for India is very difficult to match \u2013 making tough runs against tough teams, and going on to score impactful centuries. But KS Bharat is still a very decent batter,\" added Ratra.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ratra has the ideal insight into Rahul, Bharat, and Dhruv's work as wicketkeeper-batters. On the tour of South Africa, he was the fielding coach in ODIs when Rahul donned the keeping gloves and captained India to a 2-1 series win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He was also a member of India \u2018A\u2019 coaching staff for the matches against South Africa \u2018A\u2019, where Bharat and Dhruv featured in the matches. Ratra also coached Dhruv in the last domestic season when he was the Uttar Pradesh head coach.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Dhruv Jurel has been doing really well. He looked a very promising player when I coached Uttar Pradesh. He\u2019s very fit and his work ethics are very good. He then got a chance to play for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023, where he did really well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"He was with us in South Africa as a member of India \u2018A\u2019 team, where he put in good performances in the intra-squad and second game. He\u2019s done very well, and it will be a good experience for Dhruv of being with the Test team for the first time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"He will be closely observing the things in the dressing room and this gives him a chance to learn a lot more. You never know if Dhruv gets a chance in future and with Ishan Kishan still not back, I would say Bharat will be my preferred pick.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ratra, who played six Tests and 12 ODIs for India, says a wicketkeeper faces plenty of challenges while donning the keeping duties in Tests in the country. \u201cPitches here have a lot of turn and someone like Ravindra Jadeja bowls at a very fast pace and he is able to extract sharp turn. Also, there is a lot of rough created on Indian pitches during Tests and when the ball lands in the rough, it turns a lot. When the ball doesn\u2019t fall in the rough, then there is comparatively less turn.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAll of this becomes challenging for wicketkeepers and for tackling it, one needs to keep the basics of wicketkeeping in mind. Like, rise with the pitching of the ball as they will get into a good position accordingly. Moreover, they need to be certain with their judgement, like how much they know about the bowler and how much they are closely watching the bowler\u2019s hand.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The more they watch the ball, they can get their sense of judgement of how much the ball is spinning and how fast does it come towards them. Since our wicketkeepers play a lot of first-class games via the Ranji Trophy, they develop a good idea of it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Today, a wicketkeeper in cricket has responsibilities beyond catching, stumping, and batting. \"Wicketkeepers have a crucial role in giving tips to the bowlers and suggest the captain over field placements. A captain stands in the slip cordon and sometimes he may not be there. So, it becomes the duty of the wicketkeeper to tell the captain if the ball is swinging and suggest adding a slip fielder.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"If the ball is swinging less and the chance of taking a catch reduces, the wicketkeeper can suggest removing a slip fielder and placing it at some other position. But nowadays, wicketkeepers have a huge role to play in DRS referrals. I would say that in between a bowler or a wicketkeeper, it depends a lot more on the keeper.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The bowlers would feel that they are getting the batter out on their deliveries. When a fast-bowler bowls and is in his follow-through, they don\u2019t get that exact angle to see if the batter is out. But a wicketkeeper gets to see that exact angle and, therefore, it makes his role very important,\" concluded Ratra.<\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2024\/01\/ajay-ratra-backs-ks-bharat-to-be-indias-preferred-wicketkeeper-for-england-tests.jpg", "alt_img": "Ajay Ratra backs KS Bharat to be India\u2019s preferred wicketkeeper for England Tests", "alt_title": "Experts back KS Bharat to be India's preferred wicket-keeping option for Tests against Australia", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Ajay Ratra Backs KS Bharat To Be India\u2019s Preferred Wicketkeeper For England Tests On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Ajay Ratra Backs KS Bharat To Be India\u2019s Preferred Wicketkeeper For England Tests, South Africa Test: As India prepares for the opening Test against England in Hyderabad on January 25, there are various.", "seo_keywords": "KS Bharat, New Delhi, As India, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, South Africa, South Africa Test, Ajay Ratra, With Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, West Indies, England Lions, Hyderabad Test, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, But KS Bharat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Royals", "tag": "", "tagging": "KS Bharat, New Delhi, As India, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, South Africa, South Africa Test, Ajay Ratra, With Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, West Indies, England Lions, Hyderabad Test, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, But KS Bharat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Royals", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "ajay-ratra-backs-ks-bharat-to-be-indias-preferred-wicketkeeper-for-england-tests", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "1109", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2024-01-23 10:12:03", "updated": "2024-01-23 10:12:03", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "KS Bharat, New Delhi, As India, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, South Africa, South Africa Test, Ajay Ratra, With Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, West Indies, England Lions, Hyderabad Test, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, But KS Bharat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Royals", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2024-01-23 10:12:03", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/ajay-ratra-backs-ks-bharat-to-be-indias-preferred-wicketkeeper-for-england-tests-136614" }