Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha has backed Rishabh Pant to be India’s first-choice gloveman on the forthcoming tour of the UK. Saha believes Pant has earned the right to continue playing after terrific performances for India in the last season.
Pant, who was facing question marks over his form and fitness heading into the winter last year, rejuvenated himself with stellar knocks in Australia and at home versus England.
Pant made 274 runs from his 5 innings Down Under in India’s successful Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign. His series tally included stand-out knocks in Sydney and Brisbane and a forgotten but extremely crucial game-transforming cameo in Melbourne.
The young left-hander continued his excellent work against England and ended the home series with 270 runs at an average of 54.00. Pant produced a couple of outstanding knocks in Chennai and Ahmedabad.
A player considered dispensable to the cause at the beginning of the World Test Championship cycle by the team management, Pant proved to be a vital cog in India’s wheels and helped Virat Kohli and company set up the marquee final against New Zealand in Southampton.
In both the series, Pant also showed remarkable improvement in his glovework. Thus, Saha had no qualms accepting that Pant has indeed pipped him in the pecking order and selflessly said his young teammate deserves to get the nod ahead of him in England.
“Rishabh Pant played the last few matches of the World Test Championship, he’s done well and he should be our first-choice keeper in England. I would just wait, and if any opportunity arises, I will give my best. I will keep practising for that one chance,”
Saha, who has previously denied talks of competition between him and Pant, saying they help each other out in the net sessions, started the series in Australia but lost his place for the following Tests after two poor outings with the bat in the pink-ball D/N Test in Adelaide.
Saha, for whom it was initially the great MS Dhoni, and now it is Pant when it comes to the competition for the wicketkeeper’s slot, is currently experiencing an uncertain future, not aware when next he is going to play for the country. However, the team-driven personality isn’t letting that affect his headspace. Saha understands he needs to keep working hard over his craft and wait for his opportunity.
“I try to be the same irrespective of the situation. Whether I am performing or no, I don’t see any change in myself, no idea if others around me spot anything different.
We can only try to perform – sometimes it clicks, sometimes it doesn’t – and the management takes the call based on all these parameters,”
he said.
Kohli’s men are currently in Mumbai going through part 1 of their extended isolation due to pandemic regulations, with the UK government putting India in the red-list countries amid the viral outbreak. They’ll have another phase of isolation, with allowance to train, when they step on English shores ahead of the WTC final against Kiwis, beginning June 18.
Because of the quarantine issue, the team will stay in the UK through July and play intra-squad matches ahead of the five-Test series against England, which starts on August 4 at Trent Bridge.
Lord’s (August 12-16), Headingley (August 25-29), The Oval (September 2-6) and Manchester (September 10-14) will host the last four Test matches of the much-anticipated series.
