Former Team India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has said that Rishabh Pant may struggle to secure a place in India’s playing XI for the upcoming T20I series against England. Sanjay Bangar highlighted that Sanju Samson has almost cemented his role as the batsman for India in the shortest format.
India are set to play five T20Is against England, with the first match scheduled for January 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After the T20I series, the two teams will compete in a three-match ODI series starting on February 6. Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson will compete for the wicketkeeper role in the team.
Sanju Samson has grabbed the opportunities with both hands – Sanjay Bangar
During a discussion on Star Sports Follow the Blues, Sanjay Bangar talked about Rishabh Pant’s place in India’s playing XI. Bangar said it will be difficult to accommodate two players in that role, with Sanju Samson performing exceptionally well, which could lead to Pant losing out.
“On the evidence of the last series, because there is a place for a batter-batsman, and if a batsman in Sanju Samson has taken chances with both hands and played with such size, it is very difficult to have two keepers. – knocks on the reception,’ he answered.
“If it’s slated to be in the top three, then definitely yes, but at No. 5 or at No. 6, even though he was part of the team that won the T20 World Cup and it was his intelligence that led to that breakthrough for the Indian team, that’s the level of competition right now in T20 cricket that he just might lose,” added Bangar.
Sanju Samson has been outstanding in T20I cricket. Samson has scored three centuries as an opener in his last five T20I games. Sanju Samson scored 111 runs off 47 balls in the final T20I against Bangladesh, followed by a knock of 107 runs in the first T20I against South Africa and an unbeaten 109 in the series finale.
You also have a lot of left-handers in the team” – Sanjay Bangar
The former India all-rounder said that Rishabh Pant could not find a place in the line-up with Tilak Varma and other left-handed batsmen in the team. He pointed out that the advantage of being left-handed is no longer such an important factor.
“With Tilak Varma also being a left-hander who has performed so well, whether that left-hander comes into the equation slightly disappears because you also have a lot of left-handers in the team,” observed Bangar.
He will definitely be in My Squad – Deep Dasgupta
In the same discussion, Deep Dasgupta stated that he would include Rishabh Pant in his team. However, he mentioned that Pant might not make it to the playing XI. He said Pant’s best position in T20Is is probably in the top three or four, but he has often batted lower in the order.
“He’ll definitely be in my team, not necessarily in the XI, because he’s someone who I think his best position in this format is in the top three or four. He’s generally played in positions 4 to 6, whether it’s in the IPL or for India,” Dasgupta said.
Rishabh Pant scored 359 runs at an average of 22.43 in 19 T20I innings while in the top three. Instead, he has scored 850 runs at a slightly better average of 23.61 from 47 T20I innings when batting at no. 4 or lower.
2025-01-07 09:48:00
