Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has urged fans and experts to allow Rishabh Pant to play more matches freely without thinking about his chances of returning to the senior national team. When asked about the wicketkeeper-batter’s T20 World Cup selection chances, Ganguly said it’s important that the Delhi captain plays a few more matches and eases into the rigiours of competitive cricket.
After having handed the responsibility of leading the Capitals again, Pant has looked in control with the bat, scoring 152 runs in 4 matches, including 2 fifties. Pant took fans down memory lane by coming up with his trademark no-look sixes in Delhi’s last two matches – a win against CSK and a defeat to KKR in Vizag.
“Rishabh is fully fit. His form has been fantastic. He is keeping and batting well but let him play a few matches more: If the national selectors want him, I should be able to judge in another week,” Sourav Ganguly told the press in Mumbai ahead of DC’s away game at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Pant is facing stiff competition for the wicketkeepers’ slots in the T20 World Cup side as the likes of Jitesh Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan will be in the race. It would also be interesting to see if the senior national selection committee would want to rush Pant back to international cricket. The T20 World Cup will be played in the USA and the West Indies from June 1.
