Not Sanju Samson, not Ishan Kishan! 29-year-old named as ‘proper replacement’ for Rishabh Pant by ex-RCB star

Given that Rishabh Pant will likely miss another six months of action, including the ICC Cricket World Cup, due to his car accident in December of last year, the competition for the Indian white-ball setup’s wicket-keeping position has heated up. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, KS Bharat made his Test debut, Ishan Kishan kept wickets in T20Is, and KL Rahul wore the gloves in one-day internationals as a result of Pant’s absence. However, the selection dilemma for the upcoming tours has already gotten worse as a result of Kishan’s deteriorating T20I form and Rahul’s current hamstring injury. Additionally, Shreevats Goswami, a former Bengal and RCB batter, has proposed a fix.

Goswami has backed the Vidarbha gloveman to advance to the highest level, not just in the T20Is but also in the ODIs, after seeing Jitesh Sharma deliver on the promise after last year’s IPL and a fantastic run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the 2023 edition. Jitesh, who frequently enters as a finisher for Punjab Kings and has garnered praise for his intent and ability to hit from the first ball, had more balls to use against the Mumbai Indians on May 3 and finished unbeaten on 49 off just 27 balls. When Sanju Samson was hurt playing for Sri Lanka and New Zealand in T20Is in January of this year, Jitesh received his first call from India, but he hasn’t yet made a national team appearance.

Goswami, who was the RCB team’s breakout player in the IPL’s first season and last appeared for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2020, ignored Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson and claimed that Jitesh is a perfect replacement for Pant, who also fills the same role for the Indian team as a middle-order enforcer and finisher.

“Still, get him in the team jitni jaldi ho sake [as soon as possible] & if Rahul doesn’t recover until wc, play him!” When a fan stated that KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja bat at Nos. 5, 6, and 7, respectively, in ODIs, Goswami responded.

Jitesh has undoubtedly entered the running after scoring 165 with returns of 25 (7), 21 (10), 24 (10) and 49* (27). Even though (aside from two good innings each) players like Kishan and Samson have largely struggled in IPL 2023, they will be preferred if Rahul is out for a longer period of time.

Also Read: Top 5 Bowlers with most wickets in IPL History

-IANS

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