Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul - who should be India's wicket-keeper for ODI series vs Sri Lanka?
After completing a 3-0 clean sweep in the T20Is, India will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series to be played in Colombo from August 2 to 7. Big guns like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be back in the mix after last playing in India's T20 World Cup triumph over South Africa in the final.
However, another interesting factor in the series would be the Men in Blue figuring out who their wicketkeeper will be among KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. The southpaw was their first-choice wicketkeeper in the T20 World Cup and also in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
But ODIs is a different format and on that note, here's a look at the factors that could determine who among KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will get the nod as wicketkeeper:
ODI record
KL Rahul has been highly consistent ever since his move to No.5 in the middle order in ODIs. In 30 innings at No.5, Rahul has scored 1,259 runs at a sensational average of 57.22 with two hundreds and nine half-centuries to his name. He has also been brilliant with the gloves.
Rishabh Pant, on the other hand, doesn't have as impressive an ODI record, averaging just 34.60 in 30 ODIs with 865 runs to his name. He is also returning to the format for the first time since a long injury haul. On ODI record alone, Rahul seems to have the edge.
Pecking order
Rishabh Pant had scored a brilliant ODI hundred against England in Manchester in 2021 and it seemed like that was enough for him to seal a spot as India's wicketkeeper in the 50-over format. However, he unfortunately met with an accident that kept him out of the game for almost 15 months.
In that period, KL Rahul delivered brilliant and consistent performances as a wicketkeeper-batter and kept the likes of Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson at bay. He also captained the Indian team in the three-match ODI series against South Africa earlier this year. This suggests that even with pecking order as a factor, Rahul could get the nod.
Other intangibles
There is also a case where both Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul could play together in India's XI. Hardik Pandya has asked for a break from the ODI series due to personal reasons and that means that after the likes of Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul in the middle-order, there's a spot vacant at No.6.
However, Pant will need to fend off competition from the likes of Rinku Singh, who has been more adept in recent times as a finisher. Pant also struggled a bit at the backend of the T20 World Cup and in the T20I series against Sri Lanka which could lay question marks on his ability to hit from ball one if needed.
As per the aforementioned factors, it seems like Rahul could be the front-runner to be India's wicketkeeper while Pant may need to wait for his opportunity.