MS Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket in August this year has sparked the debate over India’s next wicketkeeper-batsman.

While KL Rahul performed the role in India’s last white-ball assignment during the tour of New Zealand earlier this year, the likes of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson are also in the contention.

In the first two games of this year’s IPL for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Samson produced knocks like 32-ball 74 and 42-ball 85, which saw him garnering praises from the cricket legends.

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In fact, the likes of Shane Warne and Gautam Gambhir expressed shock that the Kerala lad has not been given much chance to show his mettle for India.

And now former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has joined the bandwagon, saying Samson would be a better option than Pant to don the wicketkeeping gloves for India.

“Rishabh Pant is someone who disappoints because we expect a lot from him. In order to get that India tag and play international cricket, you need to show some consistency and get better.

“But I am seeing the same player that I saw the year before, the year before and the year before that. For as long as he has played, he has been inconsistent.

“And when I see Sanju Samson, I see somebody completely different. The dedication and commitment that he put into, turning up for this year’s IPL that mighty impressed me. That actually got me having him ahead of Rishabh Pant,” Pietersen told Star Sports during a pre-match show.

The Englishman further explained why Samson seems more equipped for international cricket than Pant.

“Just purely from a diet basis, fitness basis and a dedication space, Samson seems to say ‘I want to go out there and do everything in my power to play cricket for India’.

“And he has got runs after runs. He has failed a couple of times but what you need is that dedication which he has for international cricket because when the going gets tough, the tough get going. You want tough people for international cricket,” he opined.