Virat Kohli surprised everyone when he preferred Rishabh Pant over Wriddhiman Saha in the two-match Test series in New Zealand. Saha was widely seen as the number wicketkeeper in the country and even Virat had praised him for his skills. However, the inclusion of Pant baffled many and the left-hand batsman managed just 60 runs in four innings.
Former India spinner Dilip Doshi has expressed his displeasure after more than a month. According to him, he was shocked to see Pant keeping the wickets against the Kiwis.
“I was shocked to see Rishabh Pant keeping the wickets in New Zealand. I would play the best wicketkeeper in India first, and that’s Wriddhiman Saha. He has proven his mettle as a wicketkeeper-batsman as well. [But] wicketkeeping is such an important position that I would really not mess around with it. In the absence of Dhoni, because he has left a few years back, Wriddhi should be the best choice for India. Pant has [been] spoken about [a lot] by many critics, and I’m sure he has a future, but if I were him, I would perfect my wicketkeeping technique first before donning the India cap at the Test level,” he told Sportstar.
Rishabh Pant has been impressive in Whites. While he has scored 814 runs in 13 Tests, his teammate Saha has accumulated 1238 runs in 37 Tests.