As Rishabh Pant is celebrating his 20th birthday on Wednesday (October 4), the former India Test cricketer Aakash Chopra has come up with full support saying, the rookie wicket-keeper batsman should have got inducted in the 15-member Twenty20 squad, for the three-match series against Australia.
“One noticeable absentee is Rishabh Pant, somebody who could have been given an opportunity,” Chopra told ESPNcricinfo.
The Haridwar-born Pant represented Delhi domestic side and has been earlier touted as the next the big thing in Indian cricket knowing MS Dhoni’s future in Indian cricket looking a bit bleak.
However, the cricketer-turned-commentator, Chopra believes it was the right time for the national selectors of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to test the youngster’s ability against Australia, in the impending T20I series after another wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik got named in the squad.
“That’s a long time away and this was the opportunity, this was the time when the Indian team could’ve tested Rishabh Pant and see what he was worth,” Chopra added.
Pertinently, the first match of the T20I series has been slated for October 7 (Saturday) at Dhoni’s hometown Ranchi.
The right-handed batsman Pant made his international debut when he donned the national colours in February, this year while featuring against England. In two fixtures, Pant scored 43 runs as his highest score was 38 off 35 deliveries which came in July (2017) against Windies in Kingston during India’s tour to the Caribbean.
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Moreover, Chopra, who has had analysed the game, reiterated it’s imperative to groom the talented prospect, as soon as possible. But Pant has had a dismal show in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy.
“I thought Pant deserved a go because Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be there in the 2019 World Cup is what we’ve been told but the next World T20 is in 2020,” Chopra further added.
Eventually, the fact cannot be denied pointed out by the 40-year-old Chopra, who had represented India in 10 Tests between 2003 and 2004 owing to the short-lived career.
Dhoni, the best in the business behind stumps has further been spectacular with the willow particularly in the ODIs where he averages at 51.90, as he collected 578 catches and 165 stumping under his belt across formats. The 36-year-old Dhoni, who relinquished from the captaincy earlier this year has been a household name following his remarkable run during his career.
“He did play that lone T20 in the West Indies, got to mid 30s, struggled initially but then eventually found his feet and when you talk about youngsters getting an opportunity,” Chopra concluded.
While talking about the domestic set-up, the prominent faces in the domestic set-up like glovemen Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have had been doing good after setting up their platform in the professional league IPL.