KS Bharat roped in India's squad for the WTC final as a cover for Wriddhiman Saha

The Indian selection committee has reportedly included Andhra wicket-keeper KS Bharat as cover for Wriddhiman Saha. Saha has recently recovered from the Covid-19 virus. The decision is said to be precautionary, and KS Bharat, who is an India A regular, is anticipated to travel to England with the rest of the team. Indian wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha had recently tested Covid-19 negative and was also likely to be a part of the 20-man squad for the England tour. Notably, Wriddhiman Saha had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on May 4. This was hours before the BCCI decided to postpone the 14th season of the Indian Premier League for an indefinite time period. Thus, the selection committee did not take any chances, and they opted to include KS Bharat in the squad considering the COVID-19 protocols.

The management is still not sure about Saha's physical fitness

Wriddhiman Saha has not been India's first-choice wicketkeeper for quite some time now. Instead, Virat Kohli-led team India have preferred Rishabh Pant. The young wicket-keeper batsman has been exceptional both with the bat and keeping gloves. In the series against Australia and England, Rishabh Pant scored many runs to impress the Indian selection committee. Notably, the decision has been made as the management is still not sure about Saha's physical fitness. Thus, they don't want to take any risk as it's a three-month-long tour. 

The BCCI had made a solid plan for the Indian cricket team before they depart for the UK. India will be playing the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand and the five-match Test series against England. The team management has made arrangements for all the cricketers. The players will have to undergo three RT-PCR tests before assembling in Mumbai. Team India's first stop is going to be in Southampton. The UK health department will also administer all the Indian players the second Covid-19 vaccine.

India's squad

Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain) Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Scrikchami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance). 

Standby players

Prasidh Krishna, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla.

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