India vs New Zealand: Good to see KS Bharat repaying coach Rahul Dravid and selectors’ faith – VVS Laxman

Former India cricketer-turned-broadcaster VVS Laxman heaped praise on wicketkeeper Kona Srikar Bharat after his outstanding performance behind the stumps on day 3 of the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur.

Bharat substituted for Wriddhiman Saha on Saturday as the regular wicketkeeper was suffering from a stiff neck which kept him out of the action since the first session.

The 28-year-old from Visakhapatnam was nearly flawless behind the stumps and is even on the verge of equalling Saha’s record for the most dismissals in a Test innings by a substitute wicketkeeper.

Bharat was part of three dismissals that included the stumping of New Zealand’s top-scorer Tom Latham when he was batting on 95 in Axar Patel’s over. He also took the catches of Will Young (89) and Ross Taylor off the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin and Patel respectively.

India vs New Zealand, 1st Test: Day 3 Highlights

Bharat needs one more catch or a stumping to match the record of the wicketkeeper he filled in for on Day 3. But that is only if Saha is still not fully fit to take the field on Sunday.

Laxman, while praising Bharat, also revealed that India coach Rahul Dravid had once told him that the Andhra Pradesh stumper’s skills are second only to Saha, who is considered to be the best wicketkeeper in India.

“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.

“It’s good to see him repaying the faith the selectors and the head coach. I think he has justified the confidence showed in him by the selectors and the coach,” Laxman said on Star Sports after the day’s play.

“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.

“Fantastic experience for Bharat, this will give him a lot of confidence going forward in his career,” Laxman added.

India lead by 63 runs after three days of cricket in the first Test. The hosts reached 14 for 1 by stumps after bowling out New Zealand for 296 thanks to Axar Patel’s five-wicket haul at the Green Park Stadium.