Sunil Gavaskar Weighs In On Pant vs. Samson For T20 World Cup: "Last Few Games..."
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has shared his thoughts on the team's wicketkeeping options for the T20 World Cup . India has included two wicketkeepers, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson , in their 15-man squad for the tournament. Both players have showcased their skills in the Indian Premier League ( IPL ), with Samson having a notable season with the bat and Pant making a remarkable return to competitive cricket.
Addressing the debate on India's first-choice wicketkeeper , Gavaskar advocated for Pant based on his superior glovework .
"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 really 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 said on Star Sports.
Gavaskar also indicated that the team management might favor Pant as the primary keeper due to his recent batting form. He noted that although Samson started the IPL strongly, his performance declined in the later stages of the tournament.
"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.
In India's warm-up game against Bangladesh on Saturday, both Samson and Pant had a chance to play, but their performances were quite different.
Samson managed only one run in his six-ball innings, whereas Pant, playing his first game for India in over 18 months, top-scored with a blistering 53 off 32 balls, including four sixes and as many fours.
Addressing the debate on India's first-choice wicketkeeper , Gavaskar advocated for Pant based on his superior glovework .
"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 really 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 said on Star Sports.
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Gavaskar also indicated that the team management might favor Pant as the primary keeper due to his recent batting form. He noted that although Samson started the IPL strongly, his performance declined in the later stages of the tournament.
"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.
In India's warm-up game against Bangladesh on Saturday, both Samson and Pant had a chance to play, but their performances were quite different.
Samson managed only one run in his six-ball innings, whereas Pant, playing his first game for India in over 18 months, top-scored with a blistering 53 off 32 balls, including four sixes and as many fours.
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