Rishabh Pant must be the first-choice in India XI over Sanju Samson, as he is the better keeper, claimed India legend Sunil Gavaskar.
Pant and Samson have both been named wicketkeepers for India’s side in the present tournament. On the other hand, Pant started the tournament on a high note, scoring a half-century against Bangladesh in the warm-up game.
The left-hander scored 53 off 32 balls when he batted at number three, hitting four fours and as many sixes. On the other hand, Samson struggled with the bat, scoring only 1 (6) when he began with Rohit Sharma.
Notably, Pant and Samson were in excellent form during the recently ended Indian Premier League 2024. Pant finished as his team’s leading run scorer, with 446 runs from 13 innings at an average of 40.54 and a strike rate of 155.40, including three fifties.
On the other side, Samson was the tournament’s fifth-highest run scorer, with 531 runs in 15 innings at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.46, including five fifties. However, the Rajasthan Royals captain did not make a noteworthy effort in the tournament’s final four games, scoring 15, 18, 17, and 10 points.
Rishabh Pant is a better wicketkeeper than Sanju Samson – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar stated that India is likely to start with Pant because he is a better wicketkeeper than Samson. The veteran cricketer also stated that Samson’s recent streak of low scores had shifted the balance in Pant’s favour.
“Yes, I think simply because if you compare the wicketkeeping abilities then Rishabh Pant is a better wicketkeeper than Samson. We’re not talking about batting here, the batting aspect also comes into play. But, Rishabh Pant in the last few matches has batted well. On the other hand, Sanju Samson started the IPL season superbly, scored runs at will, hitting the ball to all corners of the ground,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Gavaskar stated that a good inning from Samson in the warm-up fixture would’ve sealed the spot for him in the opening fixture.
“In the last two-three matches, he didn’t quite get runs. So this was an opportunity for him actually the match against Bangladesh. If he had scored about 50-60 then there would have been no question but I do feel that the Indian selection committee will look at having Rishabh Pant as the keeper,” he added.
Rishabh Pant took advantage of the occasion, scoring a half-century in the warm-up match. The southpaw also kept wickets throughout the game, indicating that he is the club management’s first pick for the wicketkeeper position.
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