New Zealand vs India 2020: Sunil Gavaskar weighs in on wicketkeeping options
The much-heated debate for a wicket-keeping mainstay in the Indian team was brought up by former captain Sunil Gavaskar in a talk with Aaj Tak. Speaking on the issue, the legend pointed out the importance of having a keeper who can also take up the role of a finisher in limited-overs cricket for India.
Gavaskar has been quite vocal about the lack of consistency in the batting order, especially regarding KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, in ODIs and T20Is as Indian captain Virat Kohli has struggled to find a fixed line-up of late.
“I will go with Rishabh Pant in the limited-overs cricket. If you need a finisher at No. 6 then Rishabh Pant can do that for the team.”
He also advocated the significance of left-handers in the team, saying that it will benefit the side if another one apart from Shikhar Dhawan was brought in the top-order. As far as the finisher's role was concerned, Gavaskar backed Pant to don the much-anticipated role, following in the footsteps of former Indian captain MS Dhoni.
“Also he is a left-handed batsman, so considering the Indian batting line-up where we have only one left-handed batsman in form of Shikhar Dhawan, so if we have another southpaw in top-order then it will be beneficial for the team. So I will go with Rishabh Pant.”
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Speaking to Cricbuzz, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag also jumped in on the conversation, stating that Rahul should be given adequate opportunities to prove his credentials in the team.
“If K.L. Rahul fails four times batting at No. 5, the current Indian team management will look to change his slot. However, same wasn’t the case with Dhoni, who knew how important it is to back players at such positions, having himself gone through the hard grind.”