IND Vs AUS 2023, 4th Test: Can Good Batting Track At Motera Bring Ishan Kishan Into Equation?

With KS Bharat's lacklustre performance with the willow in the present Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the slightly superior batting surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium may potentially introduce dashing Jharkhand keeper-batter Ishan Kishan into the fray. Bharat, a regular for India A and the back-up to Rishabh Pant for the last year, has scores of 8, 6, 23 not out, 17, and 3 in his five innings played in the first three Tests. Although making a few mistakes on a roaring turner in Indore, his keeping has been superb on slow turners. But, with its batting unit already having trouble on challenging grounds, 57 runs from five innings have undoubtedly not helped the Indian team's situation. Rahul Dravid, the head coach, defended Bharat when he was questioned about the paucity of runs coming off his bat before to the last Test. That again comes down to perspective and knowing of some of the difficulties and situations that he has kept in, and even though it's not a significant contribution, he got 17 in the first innings, so we are not worried, added Dravid. "He performed well in Delhi, where he made a solid contribution. In these situations, you need a little bit of luck, which he likely hasn't got, but he is shaping and keeping pretty well for us. So, we must consider the context of batting performance." In order to have two consecutive hits at the nets on Tuesday, Dravid did spend a lot of time with Kishan.

Bharat was rested after the optional session but is expected to show up on Wednesday for the training session. The Motera surface has a hard appearance, and the equal bounce allows the squad to favour Kishan's aggressive style of batting.The impact of Rishabh Pant's terrible tragedy has never been more apparent than it has been during this series since India is missing a middle order counterattacker who might win the game in a single session. Although while Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are all-rounders and more than capable of hitting game-winning shots, they don't possess the "x-factor" needed to turn the tide of a match in a single session. The reason Suryakumar Yadav was tried in Nagpur was because Shreyas Iyer wasn't there. The one thing that may work against Kishan is the fact that the Australian team has two off-spinners. In white-ball cricket, where he must immediately attack, Kishan has struggled against deliveries that turn away. The management of the Indian squad must also keep in mind that, if India faces Australia in the World Cup final at the Oval,To the pace three of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, Bharat has a good chance of being a walking wicket. The ideal venue to check out Kishan and see whether he has the necessary temperament, if not the perfect skill, to play the conventional format is probably Motera as Pant has no chance of recovering in the near future.