KS Bharat added as cover for Wriddhiman Saha for UK tour - Report

With Wriddhiman Saha just recovering from Covid-19, the Indian selectors have decided to add KS Bharat to the team as a cover for the Bengal wicket-keeper with Rishabh Pant set to be the first-choice keeper for the series. Saha tested negative for the virus and joined the Indian team bio-bubble for a hard quarantine in Mumbai before the side fly down to Southampton for the World Test Championship final and the subsequent Test series against England.

"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," a BCCI source told ANI.

All Indian players, who are part of the tour, have been administered the first dose of the vaccine with the UK Health Department set to arrange the second dose for the Indian contingent in England.

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