One question that is going around in the minds of people everywhere is who should be the wicketkeeper of the Indian cricket team for the T20 World Cup. Currently, there are five contenders: Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, and Hitesh Sharma. Ishan Kishan, who is at the top of the list of batsmen for the Mumbai Indians and made an impact, is unlikely to be considered purely because of his batting position. He is someone who can bat in the middle order, and this is where Pant and Dinesh Karthik score over others who mostly prefer to bat in the top 3. Jitesh has made his name as a finisher, but his low return in the ongoing IPL season has taken him back.
For now, it looks like Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson are the top contenders, with Carthage being the dark horse. The player of Royal Challengers Bengaluru has made it very clear that he is ready to give one last shot at glory in the mega event of the ICC, which is going to take place in the USA and West Indies in June and July this year.
As the tournament is going to be played in foreign conditions, it is almost certain that the Indian cricket team will have to keep specialist keepers in their squad of 15 players. It may come down to what the selection committee is looking for from their wicketkeeper.
Former cricketer of Indian Cricket Team Harbhajan Singh believes the spot should go to the captain of Rajasthan Royals Sanju Samson. The former off-spinner said that there should not be any debate about the spot of Sanju Samson in the playing 11 of the India T20. He also said that the cricketer from Kerala should be groomed as the next T20 captain of Team India after Rohit Sharma.
Bhaji wrote in his tweet, “Sanju Samson should walk into the Indian cricket team for the T20 World Cup and also groom as the next captain of the T20 side after Rohit Sharma. Koi shak???.”
Samson is one of the most successful batsmen and captains in this season of the Indian Premier League. The right-hander has scored 314 runs in the 8 matches that he has played till now at a strike rate of 150 2.3. The Rajasthan Royals are quite close to becoming the first team to ensure qualification in the playoffs this year with 14 points in eight matches.
