In a surprising twist, renowned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has expressed his preference for Ishan Kishan as the first-choice wicketkeeper for the upcoming World Test Championship final against Australia. While many cricketers, including Saba Karim and Harbhajan Singh, have favored KS Bharat over Kishan, who is yet to make his Test debut, Bhogle believes that Kishan has the potential to exploit the batting conditions in England.

With the WTC final scheduled to take place at the Oval in London, Bhogle took to Twitter to suggest that approximately nine players are almost certain to secure their spots in the Indian team’s playing XI. The likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Cheteshwar Pujara were among the players he mentioned who are expected to start the high-stakes clash against Australia.

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However, there are still some players who are in contention for a place in the final XI. The most significant debate leading up to the WTC final revolves around the choice of wicketkeeper, with Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat being the two main contenders.

While most experts have leaned towards Bharat due to his previous experience in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, Bhogle has backed Kishan to edge out Bharat for a spot in the team. Bhogle also included Ravichandran Ashwin in his team, while naming Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat as potential candidates for the number 9 position.

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Bharat’s batting performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was somewhat underwhelming, as he could only muster 101 runs across six innings at an average of 20.20. On the other hand, Kishan’s aggressive batting style and ability to hit the ball hard would undoubtedly add more strength to India’s batting lineup, according to Bhogle.

I think 9 players pick themselves for India. Rohit, Gill, Pujara, Virat, Rahane, Jadeja, Bharat, Shami, Siraj. Depending on conditions/instinct/form, no 8 could be Ashwin (my choice) or Shardul and no 9 Umesh or Unadkat. In very good batting conditions alone, India might consider…

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 2, 2023

“I think 9 players pick themselves for India. Rohit, Gill, Pujara, Virat, Rahane, Jadeja, Bharat, Shami, Siraj. Depending on conditions/instinct/form, no 8 could be Ashwin (my choice) or Shardul and no 9 Umesh or Unadkat. In very good batting conditions alone, India might consider Ishan ahead of Bharat,” tweeted Bhogle.

As the WTC final approaches, the final decision on the wicketkeeper position remains a topic of discussion, with different experts offering contrasting opinions. The Indian team management will have to carefully evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of both candidates before making their selection for this crucial encounter.