'There is a reason why selectors chose Rishabh Pant over Sanju Samson for the Champions Trophy'; Former Indian cricketer opens up

MUMBAI: The Indian team for the upcoming Champions Trophy, set to begin next month in Pakistan, was selected a few days ago. All of India’s matches in the tournament will be held in the UAE. Meanwhile, there has been significant criticism regarding the exclusion of Sanju Samson, who is in excellent form, and the inclusion of Rishabh Pant, who has been struggling for form. Pant was selected as a wicketkeeper-batter, with KL Rahul included as the backup wicketkeeper.

Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had earlier expressed support for the selectors' decision. Now, former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has also backed the selectors. “Isn’t this how it was supposed to be? Both Sanju and Pant are batters. The selectors turned to Pant because he is a left-handed batter. Pant can bring the unique variation in batting that the selectors are looking for. Sanju also had a strong chance, but the fact that he didn’t play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was considered by the selectors,” Karthik said in an interview.

Sanju’s absence from the Vijay Hazare Trophy had drawn criticism from the Kerala Cricket Association. However, Pant, who played in the Ranji Trophy, also failed to perform significantly. Currently, Pant has scored 871 runs in 31 ODIs, while Sanju has amassed 510 runs in 16 matches at an average of 56.