Similarly, Rishabh Pant, who has been ruled out of cricket for an indefinite period following a horrific accident, also has his critics who don’t like his daring (or dangerous?) approach to batting but are likely to miss his intoxicatingly-adventurous stroke-making and often funny presence behind the stumps during the upcoming Test series against Australia.

But Pant is not just an abstract idea of fun, excitement and thrill that resides in his admirers’ mind. He is as concrete as those 2,271 runs and 133 dismissals from 33 Test matches that he has amassed in his young career so far.

In his absence, the BCCI has named two uncapped wicketkeepers for the Test series – Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat. Who would play the first Test is anybody’s guess. But we will come to that later. First, let’s see the size of the shoes they will be expected to fill.

Pant averages 43.67 with the bat – the highest-ever by an Indian who has kept wickets in at least two Tests. It’s considerably higher than all other previous Indian wicketkeepers with over 2,000 Test runs – the legendary MS Dhoni (38.09), Farokh Engineer (31.08), Syed Kirmani (27.04).

Pant also holds his ground when compared to all the wicketkeepers in the history of Test cricket. Only three wicketkeepers have scored more than 2,000 runs at a better average than Pant – AB de Villiers (57.41), Andy Flower (53.70) and Adam Gilchirst (47.60).

In Test cricket, Pant has been so good that since his debut, only two other Indian batters have crossed the 2,000-run mark and he averages higher than both (see chart). Even if we bring down the cut off to 1,000 runs, only Rohit Sharma with 1,658 runs at 53.48 and Ravindra Jadeja with 1,327 at 47.39 in the same period have managed a better average.

Another important metric that highlights Pant’s importance is his performances in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia), an area of concern for most Indian batters. He has four centuries in three of those countries – 114 at The Oval in 2018, 159 not out at Sydney in 2018/19, 100 not out at Cape Town in 2021/22, and 146 at Edgbaston in 2022.

What makes Pant a true game-changer is his ability to score at a faster clip. In fact, with a 2000-run cut off, Pant (SR 73.63) has been the quickest run-scorer in the world since his debut. The next best is Australia’s Travis Head with a strike rate of 61.41. There is no other batter with an SR of above 60.

Numbers alone don’t appreciate the full extent of Pant’s utility for Team India. In a batting line-up full of right-handers, left-handed Pant works like the Great Barrier Reef for India, breaking the opposition bowlers’ flow and forcing them to change their lines and lengths.

For a long time, he plied his trade at No. 6 and 7 but as he gained confidence, piled on runs and earned the team’s trust, Pant has been used from time to time at No. 5 – a position where he has blossomed. In 10 innings at No. 5, he has 721 runs at 80.11, while striking at 94.

Even his wicketkeeping skills got better in the last couple of years, thus becoming a perfect package who was nearly impossible to replace. Until the tragedy struck.

Replacing the Irreplaceable
Now, let’s come to the two contenders who are looking to replace Pant in the forthcoming Test series and in the future – Bharat and Kishan.

There are some similarities in the two. While both are yet to make their Test debuts, their first-class batting averages are almost similar – Bharat (4,707 runs at 37.95) and Kishan (2,985 at 38.76).

But, probably, it’s the differences between the two that are going to decide who gets the first shot.

Bharat, a regular in the Andhra Pradesh Ranji Trophy side, has been India’s go-to choice for a reserve wicketkeeper for some time now. He has spent a lot of time with the Test side, even traveling abroad. He even kept wickets for India in a Test match against New Zealand in Kanpur in November 2021 when Wriddhiman Saha experienced a stiff neck. He did an excellent job, taking a difficult catch off the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin.

On the other hand, Kishan is a regular in India’s white-ball teams. He recently scored a double hundred. He, however, hasn’t kept wickets in red-ball cricket in Indian conditions since 2020. He missed the last Ranji Trophy season with injury and has played just twice this season. While Kishan clearly lacks the readiness for Test cricket, he ticks some boxes too. He is an attacking batter, as we have seen in his young limited-overs international career so far. He is also a left-hander, like Pant.

India are likely to have one more left-hand bat in the playing eleven in Ravindra Jadeja, who recently recovered from an injury and tested his fitness by turning up for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy’s last league round against Tamil Nadu. There is Axar Patel also, but two left-arm finger spinners are unlikely feature in the same eleven.

There is another aspect to factor in: what are Australia going to throw at India? The biggest spin threat, of course, would be off-spinner Nathan Lyon. His spin partner is likely to be leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson or left-arm spinner Ashton Agar. Historically, leg-spinners have not done that well against India at home and Agar has played only four Tests in nearly 10 years since his debut.

Australia also have another spinner Todd Murphy but he is an off-spinner like Lyon, albeit a different type. It’s unlikely that they will go two off-spinners, especially against a side full of right-handers.

Now, the question that faces India is: Do you play a left-hander to attack the opposition’s weaker spinner or play a right-hander to try and blunt the stronger spinner?

When it comes to batting, Kishan, who has faced quality international bowlers 39 times so far, has an upper hand over Bharat, who has hardly faced that kind of bowling attack. Even in the IPL that comes quite close to international experience, Kishan is way ahead of Bharat.

But, Bharat scores over Kishan in wicketkeeping skills. In first-class cricket, Bharat has 331 dismissals (catches + stumps) against Kishan’s 110. And wicketkeeping in Indian conditions against the likes of Ashwin requires a great pair of hands.

India have a decision to make whether they want a good wicketkeeper or an explosive batter. Bharat can be a good replacement for Pant the wicketkeeper, while Kishan can try to replace Pant the batter. But it’s not easy to replace Pant, the perfect package.