"Whatever He Does At The IPL.."- Sunil Gavaskar On Rishabh Pant's Spot In India's T20 World Cup Squad
Published - 13 Dec 2023, 11:59 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:23 AM
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has thrown his support behind Rishabh Pant, stating that the wicketkeeper-batsman should be guaranteed inclusion in India’s squad for next year’s T20 World Cup.
Rishabh Pant has been on the sidelines for almost a year due to a road accident in which he was involved. He had to undergo surgery after the horrific incident and is still not close to returning to action. His last appearance for Team India came in December 2022 during the tour of Bangladesh.
And while he is recovering at a very fast pace, it would not be very surprising if he takes a few more months before making his much-anticipated return to international cricket. The long absence could also hurt his chances of playing in the T20 World Cup next year. In his absence, the selectors have been giving chances to the likes of Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma.
Sunil Gavaskar backs Rishabh Pant for 2024 T20 World Cup:
Team India is currently involved in a three-match T20I series against South Africa. They will play only one more T20I series before the T20 World Cup next year. The series will take place against Afghanistan next month and Rishabh Pant is set to miss that series as well. As of now, there is little clarity over Rishabh Pant’s comeback date although reports suggest that he is likely to return to action in IPL 2024.
The long absence could make the selectors decide against picking Rishabh Pant in the T20 World Cup squad. However, Sunil Gavaskar has said that the wicketkeeper should find a place in the squad. Speaking on Star Sports, the legendary batsman hailed Rishabh Pant as an impact player and said:
“Yeah, he (Pant) walks back into the team. He’s an impact player. He shows his fitness in the IPL. Four months to go for the IPL. He plays the IPL.
“Whatever he does at the IPL. If he plays the whole IPL without any injury setback, then he walks into the team. Whether he scores one run or no runs at all in the IPL. I think he is a game-changer. He would be one of the first couple of picks if I was a selector,” he added.
Meanwhile, the auction for IPL 2024 is scheduled to take place on December 19 in Dubai. A total of 333 players have been shortlisted for the auction.
