India captain Rohit Sharma opened up on confusion of picking a wicketkeeper batter between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI.
Indian team skipper Rohit Sharma has affirmed that he doesn’t mind at all having a headache over picking up one wicket-keeper between star batters KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the playing XI in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, which is all set to commence on August 2 at R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Notably, KL Rahul has been a mainstay in the Indian ODI set-up for the past few years, while Rishabh Pant has not been part of the team since November 2022, as the horrific car incident put him out for 14 months of competitive cricket.
The Delhi Capitals skipper made a stellar comeback in the IPL 2024, placed himself in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and played a crucial knock against Pakistan in the group stage to help India post a modest 119 runs. On the other hand, KL Rahul has been performing well in the ODIs since he was sent to the number five spot. The stylish right-handed batter scored 452 runs in the ODI World Cup 2023 but lost his vice captaincy to Shubman Gill, which showcases that he is no longer an automatic starter in the playing XI. Meanwhile, it seems a bit tough and tricky for Pant to pip the first-choice wicket-keeper batter in the first ODI against Sri Lanka.
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In the same vein, India’s skipper Rohit Sharma feels that it is a tough call for them to choose any one of them, as both wicket-keepers are the match winners in their own way. The 2024 T20 World Cup-winning skipper feels that having a selection headache like this showcases the high class of the Indian cricket team at this moment.
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“It is a tough call. Both are quality players. They are match-winners in their own way. It is always nice to have problems picking up the team like that. When you are discussing too much on who to pick or leave, then that means there is quality in the team. Which I think is a good thing. I am captain and I look forward to these problems,” said Rohit Sharma in pre match conference.
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