Cricket News

‘Rishabh Pant is not a white-ball cricketer’ – Bold statement from Danish Kaneria after Indian wicketkeeper’s dismal show in New Zealand

Team India completed their white-ball tour of New Zealand on 30 November 2022. First, they won the three-match T20I series by 1-0 under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya. Then, Shikhar Dhawan led the team in the ODI series.  But, the Men in Blue lost the series by 1-0 against the Kiwis.

Both Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson were part of that tour. After the 20-20 World Cup, fans were hoping to see Sanju Samson in the playing XI. But, he did not get a single game time in the T20I series. Even, in the ODI series, he got only one game. While Rishabh Pant played four innings but failed to score big. Now, regarding this Rishabh Pant vs Sanju Samson debate, former Pakistani spinner, Danish Kaneria came up with a bold statement.

“India should accept the fact that he is not a white-ball cricketer.” – Danish Kaneria on Sanju Samson vs Rishabh Pant

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Danish Kaneria said that the time has come for team India to accept that Rishabh Pant is not a white-ball player. He said: “India should accept the fact that Rishabh Pant is not a white-ball cricketer. They have tried him at every position in the order, just so that he can score runs. But what about Sanju Samson? Did he do anything wrong by scoring 36 runs?”   

“From fans to former players, everyone has expressed displeasure over this. All this is very demoralizing for Sanju Samson, as he is being treated like an average cricketer,” Kaneria added. Speaking of the New Zealand tour, Rishabh Pant scored 42 runs in four innings. While Sanju Samso played only the first ODI match. In that clash, he scored 36 runs off 38 balls. Even, the former Kiwi player, Simon Doull also shared his views about the same debate.

While speaking on Cricbuzz with Harsha Bhogle, Simon Doull said: “Rishabh Pant’s record is a decent sample size. He has played just under 30 games and only averages 35, the strike rate is good. But Sanju in 11 games is averaging 60-something. And I don’t think he is any less of a wicketkeeper. I just think he deserves an opportunity as well. The Rishabh Pant vs Sanju Samson debate is an interesting one for me. There is so much talk about Rishabh Pant, and how he is the future. But in white-ball formats, he hasn’t quite done it. Unbelievable Test player, and he is a shoo-in in Tests as the wicketkeeper-batter, no issue with that? But is he the best white-ball keeper batter? I am not convinced.”