Reports | KS Bharat to travel to England as cover for Wriddhiman Saha

Eyebrows were raised when the Indian selectors did not take KS Bharat, an India ‘A’ regular, as a reserve for the WTC Final and the tour of England but that won’t be the case anymore as the 27-year-old Andhra wicket-keeper has reportedly been called up as a cover for Wriddhiman Saha. The Sunrisers wicket-keeper, who contracted Covid-19 on the day the 2021 edition of the IPL was called off, recently made a full recovery from the deadly virus and was cleared to fly to England, but the management are reportedly unwilling to take any chances and have hence added Bharat to the squad.

The developments were confirmed by a source in the know, who told ANI that Bharat has been roped in as a precautionary measure.

"He was added as cover for Saha considering he was still recovering from the virus and wicket-keeping is a specialised job. If Saha wasn't fit in time, we would have needed a second keeper in the squad for the tour which is a three-month long one," the source was quoted as saying by ANI. 

Considered one of the best young glovemen in the country, Bharat has been an India A regular and has also travelled with the senior side as a reserve, many a time in the past. The 27-year-old missed out on the tour of Australia late last year, but was, however, a standby in the four-Test series against England earlier this year, which the hosts won 3-1.