On Tuesday (1st October), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced India’s playing XI for the first Test against the visitors South Africa. Senior wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha is returning to the Test squad after replacing the young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. The Indian cricket fans have a mixture of opinion on this particular decision.
The hosts India and the visitors South Africa are ready to meet in the three-match Test series. They will begin the first Test of this series on Wednesday (2nd October) at Vishakhapatnam. One day ahead of this Test match, the BCCI has announced the playing XI.
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India played their last Test around one month ago against Windies at Kingston. For the upcoming Test match, the Indian team management has made three crucial changes from the last Test playing XI. Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin have replaced KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah.
Rahul and Bumrah are not present in the 15-member squad for this Test series. While Rahul is struggling to find his batting form, Bumrah has been ruled out due to the minor stress fracture.
Wriddhiman Saha will keep the wicket; Rishabh Pant will miss the Vishakhapatnam Test
However, the 21-year-old Rishabh Pant is in the 15-member squad for this Test series. But due to his poor batting form in recent time, Pant has faced exclusion from the Test team. He made his Test debut in August 2018 during the Nottingham Test against England. After playing 11 Tests, Pant has scored 754 runs (average 44.35), including two centuries and two half-centuries.
Though Pant impressed at the initial stage of his international career, recently he has massively failed to perform with the bat. Despite getting some good starts, Pant mostly failed to manage the big scores due to his poor shot selections. In the recent Test series against the host side Windies, the left-handed batsman scored 24, 7 and 27 runs respectively.
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Due to his consistent struggling form, team management has thought to give Wriddhiman Saha an opportunity. The 34-year-old Saha played the last Test in January 2018. Since then, he missed out the international cricket for a long time due to some injuries. He returned to the Test squad in the previous Test series against Windies. However, the team management didn’t select him in the playing XI in both those Test matches of that tour. But his waiting period has come to an end.
After that announcement of India’s playing XI, the Indian cricket fans have opened up their views on the social media platforms. They have a mixed view on Rishabh Pant’s exclusion from the Test playing XI.
Here are some twitter reactions:
The decision to have Saha keep wickets in the home tests is a clear signal on the kind of wickets that we can expect and therefore, the kind of skills needed. There was never any doubt that Saha is the best keeper in the country, the call was always about Pant and the future
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 1, 2019
SAHA over Pant !!!!!!!! WTF . He has achieved more than some of the so called legends in such a short span of time in tests . NO young player will survive under these idiots Kohli and shastri . #INDvSA #RishabhPant
NB: please don't comment Saha is a better keeper than Pant .— Krishnanand (@Krishnanand_g) October 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/Rishabpant_17/status/1178962601209937921
Recently Johnny bairstow got dropped from England test team and bairstow has done so well in the last 2-3 years but he still got dropped from the test side and no one ask a question to root about that Because masala toh Kohli ke kuch karne se milega lol #RishabhPant #INDvSA
— ???? ???? (@kingofstallions) October 1, 2019
#RishabhPant is a real talent and I personally have a lot of time for him. The core team should look to give him confidence to become the match winner he has the potential to become for many years to come.
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) September 26, 2019
If u don't grab ur opportunity u'll have to kick out from team …
I agree wid selection …#Rishabhpant have been playing ipl since long ….lots of international cricket as well however we nothing found him xcept immaturity that cost his place on indian side ..#IndVsSA pic.twitter.com/hxMIglbxDB— Psychologist ? (@matured_tweets) October 1, 2019
How much U hurt the confidence of @RishabhPant17
..so sad to not see him palyingXI
@imVkohli
#RishabhPant ..— Abhinav Tiwari (@24_imabhi) October 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/Rishabpant_17/status/1178919896836497408
Have no issues whatsoever with Saha playing. Good luck to him, he is probably the best keeper in the side but what next? The side doesn't seem to be planning long term. Too many short term goals. Saha may not be around after two years, Pant's progress is halted despite scoring
— Nikhil ? (@CricCrazyNIKS) October 1, 2019
Rohit in tests because he had a great WC.
KL out of T20 because he had a poor test series.
Pant out of Test team because of his poor Odi form.
Kulcha out of the team because they want a couple of extra runs from no 9 and 10.
Kohli saab lost his mind after the WC.— Elite Banker? (@coolhandsree) October 1, 2019
Just days after Ravi Shastri said he'll back Rishabh Pant to the hilt comes the news that he's been dropped from the Test XI for South Africa.
— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) October 1, 2019
This series will help Pant to come back stronger ? We will get to know what Saha has to offer to the team which pant cannot
And If Rohit belongs to test cticket at all or not.Good to take out some frauds before we go overseas again.— Sam? (@Im_samps18) October 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/cleanbowIed/status/1178919876842254336
https://twitter.com/IsSwingAndSeam/status/1178917541780942858