Young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been largely seen as MS Dhoni’s replacement, but the Delhi lad failed miserably on numerous occasions despite giving a lot of chances by the management.
Since Dhoni’s sabbatical after the 2019 World Cup, India cricket team is struggling to find a competent replacement for a regular wicketkeeper-batsman for the limited-overs setup.
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Earlier this year, India has tried KL Rahul as keeper in the home series against Australia and in the away series against New Zealand and the star batsman grabbed the opportunity both hands when he took over the job after Pant suffered from a concussion during the first Australia ODI.
He has done the brilliant job behind the stumps and fixed his spot in the team, as Rishabh lost his wicketkeeping gloves to the Karnataka batsman who has now become a regular starter since then played all limited-overs matches in New Zealand.
Even Indian team management picked Sanju Samson over Pant for the final two T20Is against the Black Caps, hinting that they have moved on from the 22-year-old.
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Since then there is a debate over the same with many experts expressing their opinion on the matter and now former Indian wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta joined the long list.
During an Instagram Live session with Sportskeeda, Dasgupta has backed Rahul to continue to play as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the T20I format for India, saying he is a proper wicketkeeper and should keep wickets in the shortest format.
He told Sportskeeda, “In T20s definitely I feel KL Rahul should keep for India, he understands how to keep and bat well. He’s a proper wicketkeeper, he’s technically sound.”
However, the former cricketer-turned-commentator also suggested India keep invest in Pant, saying it will be a shame if he does not achieve as per his potential.
He continued, “We need to invest in Rishabh Pant in the long term. You have to be creative in how to mentor him or guide him, you need to show him tough love and play domestic cricket. It will be a shame if he does not achieve as per his potential.”
On the other hand, Dasgupta was also impressed with Rahul’s batting at No. 5 in the ODI format, reckoning that the stylish batsman can bat according to the situation in the side to help the team either in churning out some quick runs or in coming out of trouble.
He signed off by saying, “Someone like Rahul batting at No.5 in ODI cricket, I understand why the team wants him to bat in that position. He’s such a class batsman, with the right kind of temperament, he has all the gears to play from 1-6. In T20s, he looks effortless. That’s the kind of talent and game he has. Looking at that Indian team’s batting order, it looks good to me,”
(With Sportskeeda Inputs)
