Jul 23, 2024 09:04 PM IST
Robin Uthappa feels that it is going to be a hard choice to make for new head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma to choose between Pant and Rahul
Team India will shift back their focus to the 50-over format in the coming months to get ready for the 2025 Champions Trophy. The selection committee is expected to retain the core of the 2023 ODI World Cup squad to give them another shot at an ICC title, but the return of Rishabh Pant will be a good headache to have for the captain and coach of the team. Pant returned to the Indian team in the 2024 T20 World Cup after a gap of about 15 months; he missed the ODI WC last year and was recovering from the injuries. In his absence, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan kept the wickets for India, but the latter has been out of the scheme of things. Pant will now have to battle it out with Rahul in the race for India’s first-choice wicketkeeper batter.
Rahul has performed consistently well in the 50-over format in recent times after he was shifted to the middle-overs at number 5 spot. He also scored 452 runs in the 2023 World Cup and it would be tough for Pant to pip to become the first-choice wicketkeeper.
Pant also made a sensational return to international cricket with a couple of crucial performances in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he scored 171 runs.
Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa feels that it is going to be a hard choice to make for new head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma to choose between Pant and Rahul
“Both have been incredible and their numbers have been really good. Rahul’s numbers in ODI cricket have been exceptional, and Pant has just had an incredible T20 World Cup. His personal journey has been quite incredible over the last two and a half years. So it’s a tough choice. To be in Gambhir and Rohit’s shoes, it’s going to be a hard one,” Uthappa said on Sony Sports.
However, Uthappa asserted that whoever gets the opportunity should grab it with both hands.
“With this new combination of the leadership group, we need to see who is preferred. As players, every opportunity that comes their way is going to be a really important one and players will have to grab it with both hands. So wishing both of them the best of luck and I hope the best man wins,” he added.