The race to be in the 15 for the T20 World Cup is heating up. The BCCI selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, will be meeting in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, where BCCI secretary Jay Shah will also be present. According to a report in news Agency PTI, the two main talking points of the meet will be Hardik Pandya‘s place in the side and the star will be the backup wicketkeeper. Pandya’s form as a fast bowling all rounder is not good, however, due to any other suitable replacement, Pandya will most likely be picked.
However, the second wicketkeeper will be interesting. Most reports have predicted that the toss-up is between Sanju Samson and KL Rahul. Rajasthan Royals captain Samson has for the first time in over a decade been a consistent performer for his IPL side but there is no way his No. 3 batting slot is going to get him a place in the India team.
Another school of thought is that someone like Samson, who has 25 T20Is under his belt but an average of just 20 and a strike rate of around 135, should not be considered based on just one good IPL season.
In case of Rahul, it can be said that one senior member of the coaching staff will certainly go all out to push for his inclusion but many believe that the stylish right-handed batter’s approach in T20 cricket remains archaic. However, he is still considered a better bet than Samson at No. 5 or 6 on slowish Caribbean tracks, according to PTI.
However, a different report in The Indian Express, claimed some more interesting developments. The newspaper claimed that though Samson was looking to be in a strong position to get a ticket to the US and Caribbean for the T20 World Cup, is no longer a sure-shot pick. It’s because, the team management’s reported request to have a wicketkeeper who can fit in the lower order. That has meant that Rajasthan Royals’ Dhruv Jurel and Jitesh Sharma are back in contention.
Samson has batted at No. 3 in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals and has been very consistent. KL Rahul, on the other hand, opens for Lucknow Super Giants. The side is already filled with right-handed top-order batters. The Indian Express predicts that it is not longer Sanju Samson vs KL Rahul for the second wicketkeeper’s role, but Sanju Samson vs Jitesh Sharma vs Dhruv Jurel.
Jitesh Sharma, is in very poor form, while Dhruv Jurel hasn’t got a chance to keep wickets. During the last game in Lucknow, he did get an opportunity to bat long and scored a fifty.
With PTI inputs
