Retired Indian wicketkeeper KS Bharat gets selected in UAE local squad

Indian wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat may soon be seen donning the United Arab Emirates (UAE) jersey. Bharat, who recently made headlines for taking a retirement from international cricket on June 04, has now been picked for the training camp of the UAE side. While the selection has been evident, the opportunity to play for the UAE will require him to wait for at least February 2027.

According to the ICC ruling, moving on from a full-member nation to an associate nation requires a player to have at least three years of cooling-off period. Since Bharat played his last international match for India against England in February 2024, there is some time before the cricketer can represent the UAE in internationals, according to a report by Sportstak.

Bharat's international career has been marred with warming the bench. However, he could not prove his worth while he was in the playing XI. Playing seven Tests for India, Bharat scored only 221 runs at an underwhelming average of 20.09, which does not include a single half-century. He mostly featured for the side in the absence of regular wicketkeepers like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan before being discarded.

The most notable match of Bharat's career was when he played for the Rohit Sharma-led side in the World Test Championship final in 2023 against Australia at the Kennington Oval and could not do much to help India's cause as Pat Cummins' team lifted the crown. He was once again picked for the five-match series at home against England, and the Test at Vizag, his home ground, became Bharat's last red-ball appearance.

If a UAE call-up eventually materialises, Bharat will become the first cricketer in the 21st century and fourth overall to play international cricket for two countries. Before him, Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Amir Elahi, and Gul Mohammad have played for two countries, with all of them having represented both India and Pakistan in international cricket.