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Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri feels that India need a backup wicketkeeper-batter to KS Bharat for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Shastri believes Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan is a potential candidate to fill that role.
Rumors about KL Rahul being the wicketkeeper in the WTC final against Australia circulated briefly in the media. However, those came to an end when the Lucknow Super Giants captain injured himself during an Indian Premier League 2023 match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
With Rahul being ruled out of the final, India are yet to name a replacement and Ravi Shastri feels Sarfaraz Khan may just get the job done. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, here's what Shastri had to say about Bharat being in India's playing XI and Sarfaraz being his backup:
"Bharat has to play now, especially if you play with two spinners in England. Conditions will matter a lot but you have to play your best keeper.
"After that, they need to have a batter who can keep wickets just in case there's a concussion emergency. Sarfaraz walks into that team on the sheer runs that he has scored. If he can keep wickets, then why not?"
Ravi Shastri on Arshdeep Singh's potential entry into India's WTC final squad
India have yet another fitness concerm with veteran left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat also suffering a shoulder injury in the nets. He is not yet ruled out of the WTC final, but Ravi Shastri feels that if that happens, India can look at giving Arshdeep Singh his maiden Test call-up.
Shastri shed light on Arshdeep's great domestic record and stated:
"I think Arshdeep is a good choice (as Unadkat's potential replacement) because he can swing the ball and has a good red ball record as well. So for variety, that would make sense."
As per some reports, Sarfaraz Khan is likely to be included in the standby players for the WTC final. It will be interesting to see, however, if he can actually replace Rahul in the main squad.
Arshdeep, meanwhile, has shown his ability to swing the ball both ways in limited-overs cricket. He could be a handful if conditions are suitable at the Oval in London, where the World Test Championship final is scheduled to begin on June 7.
