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Sourav Ganguly may be the director of Delhi Capitals but the former India batter’s interesting take on his captain Rishabh Pant spiced up the debate between him and Sanju Samson for India’s wicketkeeper’s slot at the T20 World Cup. The battle between Pant and Samson is one of the most boiling topics in Indian cricket, which makes the impending announcement of the squad even more exciting.
Ganguly, who knows a thing or two about being in the hot seat – be it as captain of Team India in the early 2000s, or the president of the BCCI – added an element of intrigue in the race between Pant and Samson on the eve of DC’s game against Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.
There isn’t much to choose between Pant and Samson on the basis of their IPL 2024 performance. Both have scored almost 400 runs with three half-centuries, and while one has proven to be a more successful captain between the two, the other has reiterated what a dream comeback looks like. Samson has led Rajasthan Royals to seven wins from eight matches to consolidate their position at the top of the points table, but the kind of innings Pant has played – especially the last knock against Gujarat Titans of an unbeaten 88 – has thrown him back into contention. No wonder Ganguly was torn when made to pick between the two.
“I love Sanju, I love Rishabh. Rishabh will go [to the T20 World Cup]. Sanju might also go. I’m not saying Sanju should not go. He is as good a player as anybody. He bats, he’s captained Rajasthan superbly. Both can go, if the selectors feel, but Rishabh will go,” Ganguly told reporters.
While Ganguly’s words could come across as confusion, they really aren’t. The former India captain, in a way, guaranteed Pant’s place in India’s T20 World Cup squad, while also showing the eagerness to have Samson as the back-up wicketkeeper. Until a few months ago, Pant was nowhere in the picture, recovering from a career-threatening accident that took a year out of his cricket career. But his miraculous comeback after months of intense training, rehab and hard work has catapulted Pant back into the fray.
While Pant was away, Samson rose to the occasion. Getting rid of his inconsistency, Samson conjured a few impactful scores for India in the opportunities that he received. While Samson played just one T20I since August of last year, he did represent India in three ODIs, out of which he scored a century against South Africa in Paarl earlier this year.
Lack of international matches are a concern for both, but with Pant getting better with each game, it is likely that if picked, Samson, who has never been part of any of India’s World Cup squad, would be the back-up keeper. Besides, that he is likely to face competition from KL Rahul certainly won’t make Samson’s World Cup ambitions any easier.
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