With the T20 World Cup 2024 fast approaching, India have a lot of potential calls to make about who among the 15-man squad makes it to the starting XI. One place that will surely be a cause of headache for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid would be the wicketkeeper’s position. Having picked Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as the two wicketkeeping options, it remains to be seen who gets the nod to play in the Starting XI. However, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has made his choice among the two. According to the KKR mentor, Rishabh Pant should be picked over Sanju Samson purely for his batting position.
Gambhir names Pant as clear choice
“Both have equal quality. Sanju has amazing quality, and even Rishabh has amazing quality. If I had to pick, I’d probably pick Rishabh Pant because he is a natural middle-order batter. Sanju, if you see in IPL, he has batted at number three. Rishabh has batted at number five, six and seven I think,” Gambhir said.
“Looking at Team India’s combination, we need the wicketkeeper in that position and not in the top order. So I’d start with Rishabh Pant. Plus, he is a left-hander in the middle-order, which gives you a left hand-right hand combination,” he added.
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Sanju Samson vs Rishabh Pant
Both Samson and Pant have shone in the IPL 2024. While Samson is leading Rajasthan Royals to the playoff stage of the tournament, Pant has been surprisingly steady after having returned to competitive cricket after 14 months. Samson has scored 486 runs in 12 matches of IPL 2024 so far at an average of over 60. Pant on the other hand has 446 runs in 13 matches. The difference between the two is minimal, specially considering Pant bats lower down the order and does not get as many balls as Samson.
