Former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar has backed young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant to be in ODI squad against Windies.
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni’s indifferent form with the bat in the last few series has drawn criticism from all center. He has struggled to put in quick scores when his team needed the most. Moreover, his poor form has also raised concern with World Cup 2019 in sight.
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However, the men in blues needs tighten up their screws to reclaim the title in England. Rishabh Pant, on the other hand, has done a terrific job since he made his Test debut. The selectors drafted him for the squad against England after Wriddhiman Saha failed to make the cut. Although he had to sit out for the first couple of Tests as the management showed interest in Dinesh Karthik. But with Karthik struggling to score, Virat Kohli backed Pant to make his debut.
Soon he impressed and scored his maiden hundred in the fifth Test against England. Rishabh Pant took on the experienced England bowlers smashing them all over the park. The selectors drafted him in the Tests squad for the Windies owing to his superb form in England. He impressed all and sundry in the innings with an aggressive knock of 92 runs.
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And now with the selectors due to pick the squad for the limited-overs series, Ajit Agarkar has backed Rishabh Pant ahead of MS Dhoni.
“I can’t believe he (Pant) is not part of India’s shorter format setup,” Agarkar said to ESPNCricinfo.
He further pointed out that there is no harm in resting Dhoni for an inconsequential series and giving the 21-year-old a chance.
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“Hopefully they do that (ODI for Pant) sooner, rather than later, against the West Indies in the ODI series. There are five ODIs, and there will be an opportunity to play him somewhere, whether as a batter or a wicketkeeper. I mean you know what Dhoni can do, and there is no harm in resting him for a couple of games,” Ajit Agarkar added.
In conclusion, Agarkar also admitted that Rishabh Pant’s style of batting is suited for all the formats. India will play five ODIs and three T20Is against Windies after the culmination of the Tests series.
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