4 young wicket-keepers India should consider instead of Dinesh Karthik in upcoming away Test matches

Wicketkeeping in Test matches is one of the toughest tasks in the sport of cricket. They have to be on their toes all the while and don't forget zillions of squats that they have to do. A wicketkeeper doesn't have a leverage to relax for even one minute as every single chance of a wicket is priceless. Even after MS Dhoni's retirement, the Indian team was endowed a quality wicketkeeper in the form of Wriddhiman Saha.

Right before the Afghanistan Test, India suffered a huge blow as Saha, India's best wicket-keeper in the longer format, again injured his shoulder during the Indian Premier League. Saha first injured his shoulder in January and had to go through rehabilitation.

The 33-year-old wicket-keeper was declared fit just two and a half weeks before the tournament but the injury resurfaced within a short span of time. After not being picked up for ongoing England Test series due to injuries, Saha successfully underwent a labral repair surgery on his shoulder on 1 August 2018.

Here's wishing @Wriddhipops a speedy recovery. He underwent a laberal repair surgery in Manchester today under the supervision of BCCI Medical Team. pic.twitter.com/V4ZCW7DEJV

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 1, 2018

Dinesh Karthik returned to the Test cricket setup of the Indian team after a long time replacing the injured Wriddhiman Saha. Karthik's glovework in England was shabby at times. While he dropped Sam Curran's catch diving across Dhawan in the first innings, he put off Dhawan by moving across him and as a result, the southpaw dropped Adil Rashid's catch in the second innings.

Even with the bat, Karthik hasn't scored much in the three innings after his return. All he could manage was 24 runs on the three occasions. He even had a chance to redeem himself by taking India home in the second innings of the first Test against England but he failed to rise up to the occasion. Karthik, one of the most experienced wicketkeepers in India, could manage only 20 runs as India fell short by 31 runs.

With Karthik not performing exceptionally with the bat and his lackluster glovework, India might have to look for other options for the future away tours. Here is a list of the four youngsters India should consider trying before Saha gets fit.

#1 Rishabh Pant

England Lions v India A - Day Four

Rishabh Pant is the brightest long-term prospect for India as a wicketkeeper. Pant has time and again showed that he has the X-factor that selectors look for in great limited overs cricketer. Even in the IPL, he put up a great show the bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils.

Pant first came into limelight with his performances for India Under 19 in the 2016 World Cup. He attracted a lot of attention by scoring a record-breaking 24-ball 75, the fastest half-century of the tournament, against Nepal. In the very next match, he smashed a century against Namibia. Incidentally, he was bought by Delhi for 1.9 Cr in IPL auction on the very same day of his century.

After establishing a name for himself in the limited overs setup, Pant is steadily improving in the longest format. In first-class cricket, he scored 1744 runs at an average of 54.50. The interesting thing about his batting in 4-day cricket is his strike rate of 95.24. The dashing southpaw from Uttarakhand also has a Ranji trophy triple century in his kitty, which he scored at a tender age of 18.

Recently, Pant has shown some good form in red ball cricket. The young lad has notched up three half-centuries in four innings playing first-class cricket in England, two against England Lions and one against West Indies A. The two half-centuries against England Lions are a testament to his caliber as he was the only Indian player who could perform consistently when the rest of the team faltered in a 253 run loss.

Pant was rightly rewarded with a national call-up for his consistent performances across all formats. He is currently the backup wicketkeeper for Dinesh Karthik in the Indian squad but if Karthik doesn't step up in the next few games Pant might make his Test debut sooner than expected.

#2 Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan (Source: Kerala cricket association)

Ishan Kishan is the second cricketer from Jharkhand, after MS Dhoni, to achieve national fame. Just like MS, the young southpaw is also a wicketkeeper. The stylish southpaw first gained prominence when he was picked up to lead India under 19 team in the 2016 World Cup.

Ishan Kishan did not have a great World Cup with the bat but he led the side successfully to the finals of the tournament. The dashing left-handed opener did not lose heart after an underrated performance and he bounced back in quick time as he scored 799 runs in the Ranji season. He ended up as the leading run scorer for Jharkhand. In total, he has scored 2097 with an average of 41.11 in first-class cricket and is a player to look forward to in the upcoming away tours.

#3 Srikar Bharat

Kona Srikar Bharat made his Ranji debut for Andhra Pradesh at the age of 19. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been a consistent performer for the Andhra team for the past few years. Ever since his first-class debut, he has shown improvement as a batsman and as a wicketkeeper.

Bharat earned an IPL contract with the Delhi Daredevils in 2015 after his breakthrough 2014/15 Ranji season in which he scored 758 runs with an average of 54.11. In February 2015, he also became the then youngest wicket-keeper batsman to score a triple century in Ranji trophy, a record which is now in the name of Rishabh Pant.

Bharat's consistent performances did not go unnoticed and he has been getting chances to play to India A on a regular basis, If he continues his good work, we might see him getting a national call-up pretty soon.

#4 Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson (Source: PTI)

Right from his teenage years, Sanju Samson emerged as the flag bearer for Kerala cricket. Sanju Samson made his Ranji trophy at the age of 17 and in the very first match that he played for Kerala he scored a century against Himachal Pradesh. In his debut season, he notched up two centuries and half-century in just 5 appearances.

The performances in domestic cricket earned him an IPL contract in 2012 with Kolkata Knight Riders but he did not get a chance until he was picked up by Rajasthan Royals in 2013. Sanju Samson became a better player under the guidance of Rahul Dravid, first with Rajasthan Royals and then with Delhi Daredevils. Samson moved back to Rajasthan after a two-year stint with the team from Delhi.

Legendary Australian leg-spinner, Shane Warne, who was also the mentor of Rajasthan Royals had a quite a few good words for the right-hand wicketkeeper-batsman. Below are a few excerpts from his interview during the IPL:

“He’s good against pace and spin in all conditions and I think he’s going to be the next superstar of Indian cricket. He’s the new rock star, Sanju Samson that’s for sure. He’s an outstanding player and he’s a quality international cricketer.”

There is no doubt that Sanju Samson is a highly skilled player with the bat and behind the stumps but he still a bit more nurturing to play red ball cricket. With the kind of talent that he possesses, BCCI will definitely try to groom him into a player who can represent the nation for a lengthy period.