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“A generational talent has been picked but Sanju Samson hasn’t been picked” – Aakash Chopra on Rishabh Pant’s selection for 2025 Champions Trophy
By SMCS - Jan 19, 2025 2:00 pm
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Former India player Aakash Chopra has said that Rishabh Pant has been picked ahead of Sanju Samson in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy squad because of his ‘generational talent.’ However, he also stated that whoever between them had been selected wouldn’t make it to the
playing XI as well.

Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant practiced bowling in the nets

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said: “A generational talent has been picked but Sanju Samson hasn’t been picked. Rishabh Pant has been kept as a backup keeper. There was a question for sure between Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant. Whoever had been selected, would sit out. However, it’s a message and a statement about what you want you want do, in which direction you want to go, do you want to go with Sanju or else you want to back Rishabh Pant? There is a huge debate on X because Sanju has a lot of supporters. People love him a lot.”

In the same video, Aakash Chopra also shared that the selectors needed to give chances to a player on its potential at times, like when Sanju Samson was made to open in T20Is.

Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson

“At times, you need to take a call. When the call was taken that Sanju would be made to open in T20Is, his T20I average was 19. However, someone said that potential was important, form would come, and let’s try by making him open. He made runs there and is now a permanent member of the team. Rishabh Pant is a generational talent as he has done at 25 years of age what India’s greatest wicketkeeper-batters weren’t able to do in their entire careers. He has gone to England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand and scored runs. He is not yet fully established in white-ball cricket but I would want to give him more chances. I want to keep him in the loop. So I am not at all surprised,” Aakash Chopra concluded.