IND vs AUS: KS Bharat opens up about his journey to the India team, watch video

KS Bharat and Suryakumar Yadav were handed their debuts in the Indian team to face Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With regular keeper Rishabh Pant out recuperating from injuries he sustained from his accident late last year, the door opened for someone to take his place behind the stumps. Skipper Rohit Sharma and the Indian team management chose to pick Bharat over Ishan Kishan for the first Test at Nagpur.
For Bharat, who was a ball boy in 2005, when MS Dhoni announced himself on the international stage hammering a hapless Pakan for 148 at Visakhapatnam, it was a dream come true.
“It was a lot of joy… It’s a very proud moment. Lot of emotions. When I started playing first class, I never really thought of this day, to be very honest. It was my coach (childhood coach J Krishna Rao) who had the belief that I had the potential even when I had no belief,” he told BCCI.tv.
For Bharat, who was a ball boy in 2005, when MS Dhoni announced himself on the international stage hammering a hapless Pakan for 148 at Visakhapatnam, it was a dream come true.
“My journey was never one where my career skyrocketed. It was always one with small steps,” he added.
In the interview he also spoke of the impact India coach Rahul Dravid has had on him. Dravid was the coach when he made his India A debut in 2018.
“He never tried to change what I am made of, just told me that keep doing what I am doing. He told me to be the person I am and the player I am.”