India is now known as the land where the cricketing talents are erupting like a never ending supply on a conveyor belt. The latest name in this list is KS Bharat or Kona Srikar Bharat the 27 year old from Andhra Pradesh who has been called up as a backup player for the veteran Wriddhiman Saha who is just coming out into the pink of his health after battling the dreaded Coronavirus for which he had tested positive on the day his team Hyderabad was to face Mumbai in the IPL and this caused a chain reaction which forced the BCCI to suspend the league indefinitely. In this article we look at the 5 facts that one may not know about KS Bharat.
An early Ranji debut-
KS Bharat may just be 27 years of age but he is already a player with loads of games under his belt but he made his Ranji Debut against Kerala when he was just 19. The drawn game saw Bharat score 8 in the first innings but in the second innings he showed his promise when he scored 37 runs from 28 balls with 4 boundaries and 3 sixes before being dismissed by Sreesanth.
His triple century versus Goa –
Much before Rishabh Pant could score his triple century for Delhi and grab the headlines the then 21 year old Bharat scored 308 runs from 311 balls with 38 fours and 8 sixes to become the first Indian wicket keeper batsman to score a triple ton in domestic cricket. The Andhra team led by Mohammad Kaif won by an innings and 136 runs.
Amazing wicket keeper –
KS Bharat is considered one of the best wicket keepers in the country and his record in the Ranji trophy certainly does prove that as he has 270 catches and a further 51 stumping dismissals to his credit which has caught the eyes of the selectors.
On the peripherals of Indian team –
The name KS Bharat has been around the Indian team selection for a long time as the selectors have always considered him a proper back up in every format of the game. He has been on a couple of India A tours and was a back up player when Bangladesh had toured India in 2019. He was also a backup for Rishabh Pant when the Indian wicket keeper suffered a blow to the head during the first ODI in Mumbai. Earlier this year he was in the standby players list during the home series against England.
Yet to play the IPL –
A batsman who has the ability to score runs at nearly a strike rate of 100 while scoring a triple century in the four day format will almost be a hit in the IPL but KS Bharat is yet to feature in the IPL. Delhi Capitals paid INR 10 Lakh for him during the 2015 auctions but did not get a game. This year RCB picked him for INR 20 Lakh and he was yet to get a game and make his elusive debut in the IPL.