Should Rahul Replace Pant as Wicketkeeper for World T20
Pant was hit by a bouncer in the first one day international against Australia and therefore, missed the second match today due to the concussion protocols set by the ICC. With Pant out and India having no other regular wicketkeeper in the squad, India had to opt for Rahul who keeps wickets occasionally. India went on to win the match by 36 runs and levelled the series 1-1.
After today's match, a conversation has sparked out as whether KL Rahul should keep wickets in the World T20 and whether Pant should be left out as he has been given too many chances. Many would wonder that if KL Rahul is not a specialist, why should he be even considered as a first choice wicketkeeper over Pant! Well, that's a genuine question only if you didn't watch Rahul behind the stumps today. He was simply exceptional and never looked like a non - specialist. To be honest, I have never seen Pant keep wickets like Rahul did today.
It is obvious that Rahul would have never thought that he will be asked to keep wickets in this series and yet he came out today and looked like a genuine wicketkeeper. He also wouldn't have had much time to practice as there was a gap of only two days between the two one day internationals. Rahul also scored 80 runs off just 52 balls which took India to a total of 340 runs.
But if you ask me to choose a first choice wicketkeeper, Rahul will always be second in that list. Yes, he was good today but that doesn't change the fact that he is not a specialist. Yes, he performed well today but that doesn't mean he will perform every day and that's what you get with part-time wicketkeepers.
Pant has had enough chances handed to himand I am not really sure why India is still so persistent with him. There are plenty of other good players waiting for their chance to come. One among them is Sanju Samson. He has been given limited opportunities and I believe that if India would have given half of the chances that they gave to Pant, Samson would have probably cemented his place in the team.
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I'm pretty sure that I've seen KL Rahul keep wicket in the IPL before so no reason he can't do it for India in a T20 World Cup.
For me thought it's also a question of where he bats and where India need to strengthen their line-up. He's much better opening or maybe at 3 particularly in the T20 format whereas Pant is a better option at 4 or 5. You could argue that India have the best top 3 in white ball cricket in Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli. What they lacked in the 50 over World Cup was a middle order to back them up. When KL Rahul has been asked to play that role in the past it seems to me that more often than not he's struggled - before today he'd scored just 59 runs batting 4 or 5 in ODIs (5 innings). Pant is a more dynamic batsman at the back end of an innings
Yes, he did keep wickets for a whole season when he was with RCB.
I am also of the opinion that he is a better player when he is playing at the top of the order. Yes, probably India have the best top 3 but Rahul is giving a headache to the selectors. It's a healthy competition and it's really good for any team.
I think that Pant has had enough chances. He is a great player but somehow he always loses his cool while playing.