The selection committee of India has released Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill from the Test squad so that they can get some game time in domestic cricket ahead of the West Indies limited-overs series to be played in early December.
Kona Shrikar Bharat, the wicket-keeper-batsman from Andhra Pradesh, will join Team India as Wriddhiman Saha’s cover for the second test against Bangladesh in Kolkata.
A BCCI senior said, “Rishabh will be playing all the six matches (3 T20’s and 3 ODI’s) against west indies selectors thought it is only prudent that he goes and plays in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Delhi.”
Now, Rishabh pant can participate in the next two super leagues of Delhi against Rajasthan and Haryana which are scheduled to take place on November 24th and November 27th, respectively, and he can also play in the semi-finals and finals depending on Delhi reaching those stages.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill is going to play in the next two super league matches of Punjab against Tamil Nadu and Karnataka which is scheduled on November 24th and November 25th, respectively.
Kona Shrikar Bharath is a regular feature for India A in red-ball matches. He has smashed 3,909 runs in 69 first-class games with eight centuries and 20 half-centuries, including a triple hundred.
“I played the first pink-ball match in Lucknow when it was introduced in the Duleep trophy in 2015. I got a call and was asked to join the team in the morning, and I am looking forward to sharing the dressing room with my idol Virat Bhai,” Bharat told PTI.
As per the ICC rule introduced in 2017, a substitute keeper can take the place of the gloves man if he happens to sustain an on-field injury.
However, the inclusion of Bharat is merely a precautionary measure. Bharat added, ” Wriddhiman Saha is one of the best wicket-keepers of the current era. I am hoping to learn a lot from them, too excited.”
