Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson have been selected as the wicketkeeper batters in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad. The selection of two keepers isn’t exactly perplexing. Samson has been part of the white-ball setup since the end of last year, and Rishabh has taken the IPL 2024 by storm, returning to cricket after a 15-month layoff.
BCCI Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar, has revealed the reason behind picking Samson and Pant instead of going after tried and tested KL Rahul. Agarkar made it clear that the Lucknow Super Giants skipper wasn’t picked because India already has a plethora of opening options in Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the 15-man squad.
Went for what we needed: Agarkar on picking Pant and Samson
Agarkar said Rahul is an incredibly talented player, but what the Indian cricket team demands right now are middle-order batters. Both Samson and Pant can bat anywhere in the batting order, while Rahul has been playing as the opener ever since he started. At the T20 World Cup 2024 squad announcement press conference, the BCCI chief selector said:
“No doubt KL Rahul is a class and incredible player. But I feel Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson are doing incredible and they are perfect for us.
KL Rahul has been opening in the IPL. We were mainly looking for middle-order options. So, we felt that Samson and Pant are better suited for that. Samson can bat anywhere in the lineup. So, it was just about what we needed and not about who was better.”.
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