As the T20 World Cup approaches, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has shared his thoughts on the team’s playing combination, particularly in the wicketkeeping department. India has two wicketkeepers in the 15-man squad for the tournament – Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson. While Samson had a good season with the bat in the IPL, Pant also made a sensational comeback in the same tournament. Gavaskar weighed in on who should be India’s first choice between the two, suggesting that Pant should be preferred based on his wicketkeeping abilities.
According to Gavaskar, Pant is a better wicketkeeper than Samson and his recent form with the bat adds to his credentials. While Samson started the IPL season strongly, his performance declined towards the end of the tournament. Gavaskar mentioned that a good opportunity for Samson to cement his place was in the warm-up game against Bangladesh, where a big score could have made a difference. However, he expressed his belief that Indian selection committee will likely go with Pant as the first-choice keeper for T20 World Cup.
In a recent warm-up game against Bangladesh, both Samson and Pant had differing performances. Samson scored only one run in his brief innings, while Pant showed his ability with the bat by scoring 53 runs off 32 balls, including four sixes and four fours. Pant’s performance in this game further strengthened his case for being India’s first-choice wicketkeeper for upcoming tournament.
Gavaskar believes that if India wants to win T20 World Cup they need to focus on their teamwork and chemistry rather than individual players’ performances. He also said that it’s important for them to stick to their plan and not make any drastic changes at this stage of tournaments.
Overall, Gavaskar thinks that Pant should be India’s first choice as they have more chances of winning if they choose him as their keeper due to his excellent wicketkeeping skills and solid batting performances.
