Dean Jones Reckons KL Rahul And Rishabh Pant Could Be MS Dhoni's Replacement As White-Ball Wicketkeeper

Dean Jones, the former Australian middle-order batsman, feels that the retirement of MS Dhoni will open up the gates for the likes of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul to establish their spot as first choice wicketkeepers in Indian white-ball set-up.

MS Dhoni was India’s first-choice wicketkeeper until his sabbatical from international cricket after last year’s World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.

And, even though India tried out Rishabh Pant and then KL Rahul, there were still speculations that Dhoni might come back in the side for the T20 World Cup. But now that MSD has announced his retirement from international cricket, Dean Jones feels that it will now open up an opportunity for both Rahul and Pant.

“After MS Dhoni retirement yesterday… I bet you KL Rahul and R Pant slept well last night!!” Dean Jones tweeted on Sunday.

Also Read- Sachin Tendulkar Reveals His Favourite Memory Of MS Dhoni

KL Rahul is currently India’s first-choice keeper following regular failures by Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant was supposed to be Dhoni’s #1 successor as India’s wicketkeeper-batsman. And he was given a plethora of opportunities post the 2019 World Cup to establish a permanent spot in the white-ball team.

But a combination of bad form with the bat and equally horrendous returns behind the wickets meant that the team-management was forced to look elsewhere.

KL Rahul, who has kept for Karanataka in domestic cricket, was given the opportunity to don the gloves in the One-day International series earlier this year and since then the stylish opening batsman has done a decent job, and it will interesting to see whether India continues him in future series or resorts to ‘specialists’ like Pant or Sanju Samson.

Also Read- When MS Dhoni Wanted To Retire After Hitting His Maiden Test Ton

After MS Dhoni retirement yesterday… I bet you KL Rahul and R Pant slept well last night!!

— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) August 16, 2020