Former India player turned veteran commentator VVS Laxman applauded the KS Bharat after his performance against New Zealand with the gloves. He has also shared the old conversation he had with the Team India head coach Rahul Dravid about Bharat as well.
However, KS Bharat kept the wickets for Team India as their regular keeper Wriddhiman Saha had faced some stiffness in his neck. And, Bharat was quite impressive. He took two catches and did one stumping. Moreover, his glovework was stunning against the spinners as well.
In a chat with Star Sports after Day 3 of the India vs New Zealand Kanpur Test, VVS Laxman commented on KS Bharat’s performance. Recalling his conversation with Dravid, Laxman said: “I still remember Rahul Dravid raving about KS Bharat’s wicketkeeping skills. He told me that Bharat has good keeping skills, next only to Wriddhiman Saha in Indian cricket.”
READ HERE: Aakash Chopra opens up on New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad
VVS Laxman also praised KS Bharat, citing that he repaid the selectors’ faith in him as well. He further added that the wicket-keeper’s performance has certainly justified Dravid’s confidence in him also. He also opined how KS Bharat played brilliantly without taking any pressure despite keeping the wickets for the first time in Tests. And, the veteran believes that today’s experience will give him a lot of confidence as well.
“In these quality spin conditions, if you don’t have a reliable wicketkeeper then you’re going to miss a lot of chances. What we saw today was great technique and great presence of mind, he didn’t panic at all for someone who has come into this team recently and got to play only because Saha was injured,” concluded VVS Laxman.
READ HERE: Shaun Tait explains why speedsters struggle to bowl 150+kmph
After yesterday’s game, Axar Patel said: “It’s a dream start, in fact, this is a dream within a dream start for me. No, it (Test cricket) isn’t that easy. Was a hard grind today. They didn’t lose any wickets yesterday and the talk was to keep it tight, don’t try for wickets every ball, just look to be patient. I was sticking to the basics and using the crease a bit. My round-arm deliveries were getting something out of the track and I was optimising that a lot. That’s what worked for me. The track is getting slower and there has been more turn now. Variable bounce is also increasing but still think that runs can be made if the batters apply themselves.”
