Rishabh Pant, the young wicketkeeper-batsman of the Indian cricket team has not been given a place in Team India’s ODI and T20 team for the tour of Australia. The cricket series between India and Australia will start from November 27 and here, Team India has to play a series of 4 Tests and three ODIs and T20 matches. According to the report, Pant has not been given a place in this team due to his fitness issues.
Rishabh Pant has been selected in the squad along with Wriddhiman Saha for the Test matches.
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag, however, has said that he is not surprised at Pant’s omission from the squad. He said that the exclusion of Rishabh Pant from ODIs and T20s is the right decision.
“It was not surprising that Pant was not included,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
“On the last tour, he was not part of the playing XI despite being fit. KL Rahul had performed well as a wicketkeeper and he was used as the regular wicketkeeper in the limited-overs series, and Rishabh Pant was kept out.
“It might have been a way to send a message to Rishabh Pant that he needs to change his style of play. He would keep losing his wickets, and he doesn’t finish off games, and he needs to learn to finish games. If he does not do that, he would not be given chances.”
Earlier this year, Rishabh Pant was warming the bench during the five-match T20 series and the three-match ODI series on the New Zealand tour. KL Rahul performed brilliantly both at the back and front of the wicket and as wicketkeeper-batsman, he has become India’s first choice in ODI and T20 cricket. KL Rahul has also been selected as a wicketkeeper for the Australia tour in ODIs and T20s and Sanju Samson is his backup in the T20s.
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Sehwag further likened Rahul’s selection to that of Rahul Dravid and advised Pant that he needs to be more consistent.
“During our time, Rahul Dravid was used as a wicketkeeper because we did not have a good keeper till MS Dhoni arrived. So, we used Dravid as a keeper because he would be used as an extra batsman in the team,” he said.
“But here Rishabh Pant is good keeper, but the way he gives away his wickets, Kohli and Ravi Shastri might not be pleased with him. Only Rishabh Pant can make this change – he needs to finish off games in every opportunity he gets. He needs to prove that he has the capability to return to the Indian team.”