Rishabh Pant is becoming a liability for Team India, bring in Sanju Samson: Reetinder Sodhi

Former Indian cricketer Reetinder Sodhi believes first-choice wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has become a liability for Team India, so it’s essential to try out Sanju Samson for that role in T20Is. He feels that the team management has already given Pant too many opportunities but he has failed to deliver in the ICC tournaments or the T20 World Cup.

Speaking to India News on Wednesday, Reetinder Sodhi said:

“He is becoming a liability for Team India. If it’s like this, then bring in Sanju Samson. End of the day, you got to take that chance because you cannot afford to lose and exit in World Cup or ICC tournaments.

"When you give too many chances, problems arise. The time has come to provide opportunities to new guys.”

He continued:

“Only time will tell how many opportunities and how long he gets. Time is passing and he really has to tighten his shoes. Everything has a limit. You cannot depend on one player for so long. If he is not performing, you got to show him the exit door.”

For the uninitiated, Rishabh Pant scored six and 11 in his two innings against New Zealand in the recently concluded T20I series. In the T20 World Cup, he departed after single-digit scores of three and six.

In 2022, the southpaw has scored 364 runs in 21 innings at an average of 21.41, including only one half-century.

Sanju Samson, meanwhile, has scored 179 runs in five innings this year at a promising average of 44.75. The Kerala batter didn’t get a chance to showcase his skills in T20Is against New Zealand. He played his last T20I in the West Indies in August.

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“It’s time that selectors think beyond him” – Reetinder Sodhi on Rishabh Pant

Although he called Rishabh Pant a match-winner, Sodhi feels the 25-year-old needs to justify that tag with his performances. He pointed out how Pant failed to take his team over the line when he got the chance in a crunch situation at the T20 World Cup. Sodhi believes it's high time the selectors look beyond him for the future.

The former Indian cricketer said:

“We all know Rishabh Pant is a match-winner, but you don’t score runs. You don’t help win your team. You got the opportunity in an important event like World Cup.

"I accept that initially, he didn’t get the opportunity, but whenever you get a chance, your job is to perform, which has not happened. It’s time that selectors think beyond him.”

Meanwhile, both Pant and Samson are likely to be seen in action in the upcoming ODI series in New Zealand, which starts in Auckland on Friday (November 25).