“If Rishabh Pant performs in the IPL, he can make a comeback” – Saba Karim on wicketkeeper batter's omission for white ball series against Sri Lanka

Former India selector Saba Karim believes it’s not the end of the road for Rishabh Pant in white ball cricket after the wicketkeeper batter’s axe from the T20I and ODI squads against Sri Lanka. He reckons that a good IPL performance could help the southpaw make a comeback ahead of the 2023 ICC World Cup.

Speaking on India News, Karim said:

“If Rishabh Pant performs in the IPL, he can make a comeback.”

In 2022, Pant scored 364 runs in 21 T20 innings at an average of 21.41. In his last five innings, he scored 27,3, 6, 6 and 11 runs. In ODIs, he amassed 336 runs in 10 ODI innings at an average of 37.33.

Karim shared similar sentiments for Virat Kohli, who has been dropped from the T20I squad despite emerging as the highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup 2022.

“The same for Virat Kohli. He provides stability to the team.”

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“The big news is that they have dropped Rohit Sharma as captain and player from the T20 team” – Saba Karim

Saba Karim further pointed out that captain Rohit Sharma has been dropped from the T20 team as BCCI is looking to play only youngsters in their T20 setup. The development comes weeks after India exited the T20 World Cup at the semifinal stage.

He said:

“The big news is that they have dropped Rohit Sharma as captain and player from the T20 team. Rohit Sharma was leading in T20 World Cup, not KL Rahul.”

Sharma scored 116 runs in six games in the tournament, including a solitary half-century against the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul has been dropped from T20Is after failing to deliver in the T20 World Cup 2022. He scored 128 runs in six games, including single-digit scores against Pakistan, South Africa and England. His two half-centuries came against lower-ranked teams - Bangladesh and the Netherlands.

Saba Karim reckons that Sanju Samson could be a replacement for Virat Kohli in T20Is. He called him an ideal top-order batter and credited him for his IPL performances for the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

“Sanju Samson is an ideal top-order batter who can score runs at No. 3. He has performed well for Rajasthan Royals in the last two seasons. If he’s given consistent opportunities, he can seal that spot.”

Samson amassed 484 and 458 runs in the last two IPL seasons for RR, including a century and four fifties. In T20Is this year, the right-hander scored 179 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 158.41.