As the T20 World Cup 2024 nears, race for the wicketkeeper’s spot in India’s squad is hotting up. With many contenders in the fray for the spot, Indian selectors will have a tough job at hand in selecting the wicketkeepers who will board the train. However, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh is clear on his choice for the wicketkeeper’s spot: according to Harbhajan, Sanju Samson is an automatic choice in India’s squad. He even went a step ahead and said Samson should be groomed as the next T20 skipper for India after Rohit Sharma.
Tough fight for WK’s spot
Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, and Jitesh Sharma are the current five contenders. Ishan Kishan is a valuable batter for the Mumbai Indians at the top of the order, but his batting position has a lot of competition.
Given that the competition will take place in an unfamiliar environment, it is highly likely that India’s 15-man roster will include two specialized keepers. It might depend on the qualities that the selection committee is seeking in their keeper.
Pant, Karthik in the fray
Rishabh Pant will most probably be the first name on wicketkeeper’s list, having made a comeback to cricket in IPL 2024 and proved his fitness. Karthik has been a great finisher for RCB, but has not been able to win many matches for his team.
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Harbhajan backs Sanju Samson
However, Harbhajan Singh, a former cricketer for India, feels that Sanju Samson, the captain of the Rajasthan Royals, deserves the position. Samson’s place in India’s T20I XI shouldn’t be up for debate, according to the former off-spinner. He went so far as to suggest that the cricketer from Kerala be developed to succeed Rohit Sharma as India’s T20I captain.
“Sanju Samson should walk into the Indian team for T20 worldcup and also groomed as the next T20 captain for India after rohit. koi shak (any doubts)???” Harbhajan wrote on X.
