Sanju Samson will be India's wicketkeeper in England series; Pant is not likely to get selected, says former Indian crikcter

MUMBAI: Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar has opined that Sanju Samson is the most deserving candidate to be the wicketkeeper for the Indian team in the England series. Bangar, who had also served as the batting coach of the Indian cricket team, said that Rishabh Pant no longer has a realistic chance of reclaiming the wicketkeeper position. He said that Sanju is in excellent form and is likely to be named India's main wicketkeeper for the T20I series against England. Bangar also provided reasons why Pant might not have opportunities in T20 cricket moving forward.

"The Indian team has only one wicketkeeper slot, and Sanju Samson has consistently delivered impressive performances in the opportunities he's been given. The previous series against South Africa is evidence of this. It is challenging to include two wicketkeepers in the squad. Left-handed batter Tilak Varma will likely be in the squad and is in great form. So, even if the need for a left-handed batter arises, there are already enough options in the team," Bangar said in an interview with a sports outlet.

Although Pant performed decently in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia, his performance in last year’s T20I World Cup was not up to mark, scoring 171 runs in eight matches with a strike rate of 127. Following this, he managed just 51 runs in two matches during the Sri Lanka series. Across these ten matches, Pant's highest score was 49. In contrast, Sanju, who struggled to get consistent opportunities, has smashed three centuries in his last five innings. In the final T20 against Bangladesh, he scored 111 runs off 47 balls. Against South Africa, he scored 107 in the first match and 109 in the last match of the series.