India would be forced to find an apt wicket-keeper batter to replace Rishabh Pant for the four-match home Test series against Australia starting February 9. Pant met with a gruesome car accident while driving on the Delhi-Dehradun highway on the morning of Friday, December 30 and there are pretty slim chances that he will be able to recover in time.
He suffered multiple injuries which are expected to keep him out of on-field action for an indefinite period of time. Meanwhile, former India selector Saba Karim reckons that while KS Bharat is a good option to succeed Pant in the home Test series against the Aussies, Ishan Kishan is the perfect replacement for the 25-year-old.
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During a chat with India News, Saba Karim said, “I agree that KS Bharat is being groomed for the Test keeping role. But with all due respect to him, I feel Ishan Kishan is more suitable as an ideal replacement for Pant, considering the kind of role that Pant was playing in the Test team. He is playing the Ranji Trophy and has scored a hundred at a quick pace.”
He further added, “We were winning Tests due to Pant’s presence because not only was he playing match-winning knocks, but was doing them at a quick pace. This was transferring pressure on the opposition, while also giving bowlers time to take 20 wickets. Kishan hasn’t played red-ball cricket for India A, but he has been playing domestic red-ball cricket for a few years.”
Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan seems to have found a regular place in India’s playing XI in limited-overs cricket. He had registered the fastest double ton when he played a fiery knock of 210 runs off 131 deliveries in the third ODI against Bangladesh at Chattogram last month.
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Coming back to Rishabh Pant, the middle-order batter was rested for the upcoming limited-overs series at home against Sri Lanka scheduled to be commencing on Tuesday, January 3. Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have both found a place in the T20I squad. While Ishan is also a part of the ODI team, Samson has not been included.
