Danish Kaneria backs Sanju Samson ahead of Rishabh Pant in the T20Is

Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson (PC: Twitter)

With two back-to-back losses against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super Four, India have been ruled out of the final in the Asia Cup 2022. The exclusion has also raised quite a few eyebrows in the cricket fraternity as the Men in Blue have been at the receiving end of a lot of criticism and trolling.

Many cricket analysts and pundits have pointed out poor team selection as one of the major reasons behind India’s lackluster performance. A particular section of people also seemed miffed with the long rope given to Rishabh Pant. India preferred Dinesh Karthik as their first-choice wicketkeeper in the first Asia Cup 2022 match.

Pant’s performance in Asia Cup 2022

However, the veteran was dropped from the second game itself as he made way for Pant. The youngster failed to impress as he recorded scores of 14 and 17 runs in the last two games. It was a poor shot selection by Pant in both the games that cost his wicket.

While the cricket analysts are questioning India’s decision of choosing Pant over Karthik, Pakistan’s Danish Kaneria came up with a completely different opinion. The veteran believes that it is now time for India to drop Pant and include Sanju Samson in the shortest format of the game.

Though Kaneria hailed Karthik for his recent exploits in the T20Is, the Pakistan star believes that the Indian wicketkeeper can’t play for long and they will have to look for alternatives.

Kaneria gives his verdict

In a video uploaded on his Youtube channel,

“The number of chances Rishabh Pant has been given to prove himself, Sanju Samson did not get as many opportunities. I think that Sanju Samson is a better choice in T20 cricket.

“Pant is a better player in Test and ODI cricket. Samson can become a vital player for India in T20Is. For how long can Dinesh Karthik carry on? There is a T20 World Cup coming up, so India must look to the future.”

Pant has already established himself as a regular for Team India in the purest format of the game. However, the batter is yet to earn that recognition in the T20 Internationals. In 57 T20Is, the 24-year-old has scored only 914 runs at an average of 23.4 and a strike rate of 126.2.

Also Read: IND vs AFG: The steps India need to take ahead of the T20 World Cup