The debate wages on. Who would be the number 1 keeper for India in the ICC Champions Trophy. Pundits are split on the matter. While some favor Sanju Samson, other favor Rishabh Pant. But former India Cricket Team spin legend Harbhajan Singh has lent his support to Sanju Samson. The legend claims that Samson is his number 1 pick and is his first choice ahead of Pant.
The pundits have started predicting their squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. While most o the places are finalised, there are however some spots that remain to be fixed. The keeper’s spot is one such example. Back in the ODI World Cup, KL Rahul donned the gloves from behind the stumps.
Sanju Samson over Rishabh Pant?
But heading into this ICC event, it is believed that KL won’t keep. Instead it is a conundrum between Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant. Dhruv Jurel however, will be the second choice for the team. Harbhajan Singh has put his trust on the Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson to be the number 1 keeper for the Men in Blue.
“Sanju Samson is my choice. Sanju Samson would be the first-choice,” Harbhajan Singh told in his YouTube channel.
Rishabh Pant has been a regular for India ever since his return to the team after his almost life threatening accident. He made his competitive return for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 and was the number 1 keeper for India in the T20 World Cup. There Sanju Samson served as the backup and didn’t play a single game in USA and West Indies.
But after the retirement of the senior players from T20Is, Samson has cemented his spot in the team. He is now the number 1 go to keeper in the shortest format of the game. But it remains to be seen if the BCCI Selection Committee harbors the thought for the ODI squad as well.
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Will Samson get a chance?
If reports are to be believed that the BCCI is not at all happy with Sanju Samson. This is owing to the fact that the Kerala skipper decided to avoid the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The BCCI has made it clear that all players will have to take part in domestic cricket. And Samson apparently avoided the tournament without informing anyone.
The Kerala Association claimed that Samson was dropped because he didn’t join the preliminary camp before the start of the tournament. But reports claim that Samson revealed that he didn’t know that joining the camp was compulsory. And thus as a result he is disappointed.
Coming to the T20Is, Samson has been brilliant. In his last 5 innings he has 3 centuries to his name. In ODIs, he has been terrific and has an average of over 50 in recent times. While it remains to be seen who gets the top spot, but it can be said certainly that it will be a tough battle between Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant.
Sanju Samson vs Rishabh Pant fielding stats in ODIs
Player | Mat | Inns | Dis | Ct | St | Ct Wk | Ct Fi |
Sanju Samson | 16 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
Rishabh Pant | 31 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 1 | 23 | 4 |
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