Aakash Chopra expects Rishabh Pant to be included in India's playing XI for England T20Is

Commentator-cum-cricket expert Aakash Chopra has backed for wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant to feature in Team India's playing XI for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England next month. Even though Pant has been included in the Indian squad for the shortest format, it remains to be seen whether he will be fielded as the first-choice stumper with limited-overs specialist KL Rahul and Rishabh's ICC U-19 World Cup 2016 skipper Ishan Kishan in the reckoning as well.

'You should play him in T20Is': Aakash Chopra

“Rishabh Pant has made a comeback and I think he will play. You should play him in T20Is, let him keep wickets instead of KL Rahul. It will be good for the team,” said Chopra while interacting on his YouTube channel.

How Pant was sidelined from India's limited-overs setup?

Rishabh was sidelined from the team after he suffered a concussion during the home ODI series against Australia in January last year as a result of which KL Rahul was made a makeshift wicket-keeper and continued to don the gloves in the away limited-overs series against New Zealand that followed.

During the Indian team's white-ball leg in Australia in November-December last year, Rahul (also the makeshift vice-captain for limited-overs series) was named the first-choice wicket-keeper while Kerala sensation Sanju Samson was roped in as the second-choice keeper while Pant was given a chance in the three-Test matches after regular red-ball stumper Wriddhiman Saha's flop show in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval.

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India Vs England: T20I series

All the matches of the shortest format will be contested at the renovated Motera Stadium that had hosted the famous World Cup 2011 quarterfinal clash between eventual champions India and the then world champions Australia where the Men In Blue had brought curtains down on the Aussies' 12-year reign as world champions. 

Coming back to the England T20I series, both former T20 world champions will be competing in a five-match series as a part of their preparations for the upcoming edition of the ICC T20 World Cup that will be hosted in India later this year i.e. in October-November.

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Here are the fixtures of the five-match T20I series:

1st T20I: 12th  Mar (Ahmedabad)
2nd T20I: 14th Mar (Ahmedabad)
3rd T20I: 16th Mar (Ahmedabad)
4th T20I: 18th Mar (Ahmedabad)
5th T20I: 20th Mar (Ahmedabad)

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