Champions Trophy: Why Rishabh Pant was preferred over Sanju Samson?

Many eyebrows were raised when Rishabh Pant was preferred over Sanju Samson in the Indian team for the upcoming Champions Trophy. Considering the brilliant form of Samson, several fans and experts also expressed their dissatisfaction over the development.

In response, former India great Sunil Gavaskar feels that Pant’s left-handed batting style and superior wicketkeeping skills went in his favour.

“Very tough because the man has been scoring hundreds and hundreds of runs. 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,” said Gavaskar during a recent interaction.

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“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,” he added.

Notably, Samson had a brilliant session in 2024 as he scored two centuries in the T20 series against South Africa during the period. However, Pant struggled to make a significant impact in the format.