The Indian Cricket Team has always had a problem of plenty. With hosts of young cricketers coming in through the ranks, the job for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to pick sides has become tougher. But if one spot that is still up for grabs is wicket-keeper’s. With no timeline on Rishabh Pant’s return, as many as four keeper-batters are in the race for T20 World Cup 2024. If Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma are two impressive options, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson can also vie for a spot through IPL 2024.
However, with limited T20I opportunities before the World Cup, these four players will have to be at their best in the recent series’ to see them being named in the World Cup squad.
Jitesh Sharma
30-year-old Jitesh Sharma hasn’t had much of a look in in the India’s T20 sides. He made his debut against Nepal in the Asian Games but scored a mere 5 on his debut. The batter has a strike rate of almost 150 in domestic cricket. But in the limited opportunities in national colours, he has started to make a name. By no means, he is a certainty for T20 World Cup 2024. But an excellent IPL could make him a backup keeper if not first-choice one.
And one example of his prowess was 19-ball 35 in Raipur against Australia in 4th T20I. Jitesh Sharma’s expansive range of shots impressed one and all. It is expected that Sharma will keep his place in the 5th T20I. If he can produce some good knocks in the T20I series against South Africa in December, he will certainly make the job of selectors tougher ahead of T20 World Cup 2024.
Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan probably has the best chance. He has become a regular in white-ball cricket in Rishabh Pant’s absence. Despite failing to make a mark earlier, he has slowly grown into a dependable batter, who can also become a floater if required.
But it’s far from over. He has six matches in the IND vs SA T20 series and IND vs AFG series to prove besides IPL 2024 to make a mark. Else, there is KL Rahul too who is just a good IPL away from returning to the T20I squad.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul will be the easiest choice for the selectors to pick as a wicketkeeper in the T20 World Cup 2024. Having KL as the keeper solves a lot of problems for India. KL can bat anywhere in the line-up, providing skippers with a chance to get an extra batter into the starting XI. Moreover, he is the most experienced of the lot, capable of handling the captains’ duty if Rohit Sharma or Hardik Pandya miss the bus.
The 31-year-old, who made his T20I debut 2016, boasts of a better batting record than Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma or Ishan Kishan in T20Is. KL Rahul has played 72 T20I matches, scoring 2265 runs at an average of over 37. His strike rate of over 139 is very healthy considering the number of T20I matches he has played for his country.
However, despite his career stats, he has not been the same in the last two years. His strike rate has dwindled to 126.53. As he has mostly played as an opener in recent times, his slower batting has put pressure on the middle-order to get runs. Even in IPL 2023, he drew flak for scoring at a sluggish strike rate of 113.22 before he was ruled out with an injury.
Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson’s story has been a case of so near yet so far. After breaking through to India’s T20 team in 2015, Sanju has had a tough time establishing himself as the automatic choice in the Indian team. He has been poor with bat in T20Is, scoring only a single half-century in all these years. He has featured in 24 T20Is so far, scoring 374 runs at an average of just below 20.
While the stats do not speak in favour of the Kerala batter, it should also be taken into account that he has not got regular backing from the team management. And considering he is only selected for the IND vs SA ODIs, it does not seem he is a priority in T20Is and neither in ODIs. He is a space holder unless he scores consistently to change the selectors’ minds.
Not to forget, there is also a case for Rishabh Pant should he return in IPL 2024 and gets his form back. But there is no timeline for his return. Furthermore, it’s still unclear if he will be at his best behind the stumps having undergone a major ligament reconstruction surgery on his knee.
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