BIG COMMENT/ 'He’s not 20 years old': Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma told to MOVE ON from struggling Indian player

While players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh are getting lauded for making the most of the opportunities being presented to them, KS Bharat is at the end of some piercing reactions. The wicket-keeper batsman was brought to the scene to fill the void of Rishabh Pant, but so far he has failed to live up to the expectations. His struggles have been prevalent in the ongoing India vs England series as well, and after witnessing the same, some of the experts are starting to lose their patience with KS Bharat.

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IND vs ENG: Sanjay Manjrekar's stern take on KS Bharat

Former Indian cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his disappointment with KS Bharat over the way he has performed in the first two Tests against England. The 58-year-old believes the right-handed batter has underperformed after being selected as a replacement for Ishan Kishan during the Test series against South Africa.

Manjrekar urged the selectors to seek batsmen who can contribute, with Rishabh Pant expected to retake his berth once completely healthy. The comments came after Bharat scored 41, 28, 17, and 6 in the two Tests against England.

“It's a lot like he’s playing his first series. He’s played before, he played all four Test matches against Australia and Rishabh Pant is due to come any time soon. So, I am not sure whether it is worthwhile and makes sense to keep investing in KS Bharat. He’s also not 20 years old and India had moved on from KS Bharat and gone to Ishan Kishan.

“So he’s done just enough to maybe just keep his place in the side. This team management believes in being fair to every individual, but I would personally look at another option before Rishabh Pant comes in and takes his place.”

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Rishabh Pant has set a new benchmark

Manjrekar further put out what Team India looks out for in a wicketkeeper. He stated that India must look for someone who might be decent with keeping but knows how to contribute with the bat. 

“India will start looking at KS Bharat whether his keeping is that good we can afford to have somebody who is not contributing as much with the bat. India of late and the world over, if you see is going for keepers who are decent good keepers but contribute with the bat.

“I mean look at Rishabh Pant in the last 3-4 years, his contribution with the bat. So, those are things that India will have to look at.”

Bharat scored only 101 runs in four Border-Gavaskar Trophy matches against Australia last year, with a best of 44. The wicketkeeper-batter had scored 5 and 23 in the World Test Championship final.