KS Bharat has been playing consistently, Ishan Kishan should not be in India's WTC final XI: Harbhajan Singh

Following the injury to star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, India have struggled to find a suitable replacement of him in the longest format of the game. Multiple opportunities were handed to KS Bharat but his batting has been a concern for a long period of time.

Ishan Kishan, on the other hand, can play in an aggressive manner, just like Pant and thus, many former cricketers, including former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting wants the Indian team management to consider the youngster over Bharat.

However, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed Bharat and stated that India should stick with him in the WTC final against Australia. The 42-year-old justified that Bharat is part of the set-up for quite some time now and the team should back him. The former spinner also mentioned that he would have preferred Wriddhiman Saha or KL Rahul but since they are not available, Bharat should be the one who should do the job with the gloves.

“No, I don’t think he (Kishan) should be in the starting 11 because KS Bharat has been playing consistently for some time. If it was Wriddhiman Saha, then I would consider playing him because he has more experience and is a better keeper. If KL Rahul was fit, I would have played him instead, at number 5 or 6, because he is a proper opener and he could keep as well,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.

Play with two spinners if there is less grass on the pitch: Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan also stated that India should play two spinners if the pitch at the Oval has less grass and if the sun is out. Otherwise, he believes that the Rohit Sharma-led side should play three seamers along with Shardul Thakur.

“This all [bowling combination] depends on what the pitch is saying. If the pitch has lesser grass and the sun is out, then play with two spinners. If that is not the case then play three seamers and Ravindra Jadeja, along with Shardul Thakur who will not only bowl but contribute with the bat as well,” Harbhajan said.