New Delhi, June 4 (IANS) Former India wicketkeeper and chief selector MSK Prasad on Thursday said he had tried convincing KS Bharat not to retire from international cricket, but the Andhra player was ‘hell‑bent on moving on,’ describing the decision as both surprising and unfortunate.

In a surprise development on Thursday evening, wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 32. Bharat first got an India call-up in November 2019 but made his Test debut in February 2023 after Rishabh Pant was sidelined due to recovery from his injuries suffered in a life-threatening car accident.

“I am aware of it because this was very, very surprising to me. I even tried to speak to him, but somehow he said that I am moving on. Because I have seen him growing from the under-13 age group, it was really shocking to me when he said this. But what to do, it is very unfortunate.

“In fact, I also made my retirement at 31 and a half, but he has made up his mind now. So, probably he felt that he needed to move on, and probably he wants to focus on something else. I tried my level best to convince him and even spoke to him, but he is hell-bent on moving on,” Prasad told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Thursday.

Bharat is also remembered for taking two catches and effecting one stumping when Wriddhiman Saha had a stiff neck during the Kanpur Test against New Zealand in 2021. But Bharat was inconsistent in his glovework and run-making, which meant that he wasn’t considered for the Test team after playing the second Test against England at his hometown Visakhapatnam in February 2024.

In seven Tests, including playing in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval, Bharat amassed 223 runs with a highest score of 44 and an average of 20.09. Bharat also made 10 appearances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals, while scoring 199 runs.

“I feel that he still had some mettle left in him to make a comeback. He was a fantastic keeper, and there is no two ways about it. I think he has got a safe pair of hands and was a decent batter because I have seen him growing from under-13. But then, he has got some other ideas, and one has to respect that,” added Prasad.

Speculation was rife on a section of social media, which suggested that Bharat could be on his way to representing the UAE after he was allegedly seen practising with their team in a few sessions last month.

However, sources told IANS that there was no truth in it, though they admitted that Bharat was in Dubai around that time and wanted to practice or train with the UAE national team, which is why he showed up for the same.

It is to be noted that, as per the ICC rules, players looking to switch their international teams must satisfy a new country’s nationality or residency criteria and undergo a mandatory three-year cooling-off period from the date of their last international match for their previous country.

Previously, former India Under-19 and Uttar Pradesh batter Akshdeep Nath made his debut for the UAE earlier this year in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 matches in Nepal after acquiring the country’s citizenship, post making a move from Lucknow to Dubai last year.

–IANS

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