India is spoilt for choices when it comes to picking the wicketkeeper-batter for the upcoming T20 World Cup. BCCI can pick one or at the most two wicketkeeper-batters in the Indian squad for the forthcoming marquee event.
As many as six wicketkeeper-batters like Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel were in the fray for the positions. Midway through the IPL, Pant, Samson and Ishan have emerged as frontrunners for the slot in the squad.
Moreover, as IPL progresses, veteran batsman Dinesh Karthik seems to have thrown his name into the discussion, adding a fresh dimension to the battle.
Amid the development, former Australia captain Rick Ponting has given a blunt verdict on the race.
Ponting admitted that while India is spoilt for choices when it comes to picking the wicketkeeper-batter for the T20 World Cup, he threw his weight behind Pant.
“Do I believe whether Rishabh should be there in the World Cup squad? Absolutely I do. He deserves to be in that WT20 squad by the end of the IPL, I think we have seen Rishabh play the way we have seen him play in the last six seasons of IPL and now back playing for India,” said Ponting.
“One thing we certainly know is that there is a lot of depth around Indian cricket, with keeper batters and I feel some guys are in really good form at the moment. Kishan is playing well, Samson is playing well and KL Rahul is playing well, there are lots of options there but if I was picking a team, I would have Rishabh Pant in it every day of the week,” he added.