'Pant is a better WK than Samson': Gavaskar's verdict on India's First-Choice WK for the 2024 T20 WC

In a warm-up match for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, India posted a commanding total of 182/5 in 20 overs, with notable contributions from Rishabh Pant (53 off 32 balls) and Hardik Pandya (40* off 23 balls). In response, Bangladesh struggled to keep up, managing only 122/9 in their 20 overs, resulting in a comfortable 60-run victory for India. Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube stood out for India with 2 wickets each, while Mahmudullah top-scored for Bangladesh with 40 runs. The match, which took place at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

Also Read: Manjrekar takes a dig at Rishabh Pant despite heroics vs Bangladesh

Sunil Gavaskar picks Rishabh Pant over Sanju Samson for India in the T20 World Cup

Citing Pant's better glove skills, Sunil Gavaskar has selected Rishabh Pant to start wicketkeeping for India at the 2024 T20 World Cup over Sanju Samson. While Samson struggled in India's warm-up match against Bangladesh, scoring just six runs off of 32 balls, Pant shined with a stunning 53 runs off of 32 balls before retiring out.

The choice of the playing XI was difficult because both players had outstanding IPL 2024 campaigns. With 531 runs at an average of over 48 and a strike rate of 153.46 in 16 games, Samson was the tournament's fifth-highest run scorer.

But Pant, who had been out for 15 months, showed up by hitting 446 runs in 13 games with a strike rate of 155.40 and an average of 40.54. In a Star Sports interview after the warm-up game against Bangladesh, Gavaskar discussed his opinions on the rivalry between Pant and Samson for the wicketkeeper post. Sunil Gavaskar said: 

“I think simply because if you compare the wicketkeeping abilities then Rishabh Pant is a better wicketkeeper than Samson. We’re not talking about batting here, the batting aspect also comes into play. But, Rishabh Pant in the last few matches has batted really well. On the other hand, Sanju Samson started the IPL season superbly, scored runs at will, hitting the ball to all corners of the ground,”

Samson and Pant have both had unexpectedly poor T20I careers. Samson's average is less than 19 with just one half-century in 25 games, whereas Pant's average is just little higher at 22.43 in 66 games.