Rishabh Pant is all set to come back to the Indian team.
The Indian team for the T20 World Cup is unlikely to feature too many surprises, barring the recall of Rishabh Pant if one were to term the selection of a proven match-winner with 33 Tests, 30 ODIS, and 66 T20Is as unexpected. Whatever be that, the wicketkeeper batsman, who went off the radar of Indian cricket due to a dreadful accident more than 16 months ago, is in line for a recall into the Indian team.
Recent form is really good.
His recent performances in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) seem to have given him a definite edge over his other contenders for the position, and the Indian team and the think tank are believed to be convinced that he is ready for international action. Unless he comes up with abysmally poor scores, he could be on the flight to the US and the West Indies.
Michael Clarke spoke about Pant’s fitness.
Pant, who had surgery on his knee, has shown that he is ready to bat and keep. Michael Clarke gave him a thumbs-up recently, saying he wants to see Pants back in Indian colors. “Yeah, look, it’s great for Indian cricket, but it’s also great for Rishabh Pant. I think the work that has gone into his rehab to get back to that level of play at any standard is an amazing achievement. He deserves a lot of credit for his hard work, and it’s great to see him on the field, captaining and playing well, batting and keeping,” the former Australia captain told Star Sports. He went on to add, “He’s a wonderful player, and everybody is happy that he’s back on the field, and we want to see him play for Delhi, but we also want to see him come back and play for India as soon as possible.”
Sourav Ganguly said Rishabh Pant is fully fit.
Sourav Ganguly, a former India captain who has attended many selection committee meetings as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), recently said Pant has regained full fitness and would wait for a few more IPL games before he can voice his view on his international selection. Pant’s scores in the IPL so far have been 18, 28, 51, 55, and 1. “Let a few more matches go. He is doing very well, as you all must have seen, keeping batting. So he’s held up well, and his form has been fantastic, especially the way he has batted in the last two games. So let another week go, and I’ll be able to answer that question, provided the selectors want to pick him. So that’s most important. Yeah, yeah, He’s fully fit,” Ganguly said the other day.
Pant (26) has managed 153 runs in five games, failing only in the most recent game versus the Mumbai Indians. Pant has competition from the likes of Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and Jitesh Sharma, who are likely to be vying for the second keeper’s position in the Indian team.