Rishabh Pant on the left and Sanju Samson on the right. (FILE photo)
Sanju Samson has been belting hundreds, but Rishabh Pant offered India the option of a leftie, and was a potential game-changer, said Sunil Gavaskar commenting on India’s Champions Trophy squad selection which saw the Kerala international miss out.
“Very tough because the man has been scoring hundreds and hundreds of runs,” Gavaskar told Sportstak, saying he was justified in feeling hard done by. “There is no excuse to leave him out. But he was pitted against Rishabh Pant, who we all know can be a game-changer. Plus Pant is a left-hander and he is probably the better wicketkeeper, although he might not be the better batter than Samson,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
Gavaskar added that Pant could have a bigger impact adding “Pant can change the game perhaps a little more than Samson and that’s reason why Samson missed out. But Samson must not feel dejected because all Indian cricket lovers will have sympathy for him for what he has achieved.”
Sanju last struck two magnificent centuries in the T20I series against South Africa, 107 in Durban and an unbeaten 109 in Johannesburg, and had earned widespread cheering from the Indian cricket community.
His ODI career, spanning 16 matches since his debut against Sri Lanka in July 2021, however has been stop-smart. Samson has notched 510 runs at an impressive average of 56.66 and a strike-rate of 99.60. He has one century to his credit and three 50s in ODIs.
He will be especially flummoxed since in his previous ODI outing, he hammered a century where he scored a brilliant 108 against South Africa in Paarl in December.
While Pant’s talent and impact has been clear in other formats, his ODI record is middling, with an average of 33.50 across 31 matches.
The decision however got a thumbs-up from Suresh Raina. Speaking on Star Sports Press Room, Raina said, “Definitely Pant, his wicket-keeping has improved. But he has to play with more responsibility in a 50-over game. If he stays there for 40-50 balls he can take the game away from the opposition but he needs to spend more time at the crease.”
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