KS Bharat emphasizes on importance of being proactive in wicket-keeping

image-ldy6fogrKS Bharat stumped Marnus Labuschagne for 49 (Twitter)

Indian wicket-keeper, KS Bharat, finally made his highly anticipated Test debut on Thursday in the ongoing first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur. The gloveman was ceremoniously presented with his India cap by Test batting veteran, Cheteshwar Pujara.

In a testament to his skills, Bharat was immediately called into action as early as the second over of the match, when Mohammed Siraj's appeal for LBW against Australia opener, Usman Khawaja, was turned down by on-field umpire Nitin Menon. 

However, with the captain's guidance and a mere second left on the 15-second DRS timer, Bharat held his nerve and successfully overturned the on-field decision, resulting in Khawaja's dismissal for just 1 run.

During an interview with the broadcasters, Bharat emphasized the crucial role of a proactive wicket-keeper in the use of the DRS in Test cricket.

"Keeping comes with a lot of challenges and you need to be proactive with the DRS. It's not just catching the ball, you should be able to understand where the ball is landing and where the ball is ending, which makes it little interesting and I'm definitely enjoying the role," Bharat told the broadcasters.

In addition to his contribution in the successful use of the DRS, Bharat also made an impact with his gloves, as he affected the stumping of Australia's top-scorer, Marnus Labuschagne, off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. It is worth mentioning that Bharat was selected over Ishan Kishan as India opted for a more traditional wicket-keeper-batter to replace Rishabh Pant who suffered injuries in a dreadful car crash in December.