3 reasons why Rishabh Pant should replace MS Dhoni in the ODI team

The 2019 World Cup in England is only a few months away. The probable Indian ODI team for this mega event has been the talk of the town for quite some time.

Most of the spots in the playing XI are already sealed. Players like Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are almost guaranteed a place in the playing XI if they are fit.

But for the other spots in the team, there is still fierce competition. The most vulnerable part of the Indian ODI team has been their middle order, in recent times. At present, Ambati Rayadu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Kedar Yadav, and Manish Pandey are the pool of players from which the 3 middle order batsmen in the playing XI are chosen.

However, none of them have been consistent enough to seal their spot in the playing XI. As a result, the biggest headache for the team management at present is to fix their middle order as soon as possible.

Another slot for which there is fierce competition is the wicket-keeper's slot. In the recent past, MS Dhoni has been the obvious choice for the wicket-keeper's slot in the playing XI. He has not only been India's greatest ever wicket-keeper batsman, but also one of the greatest wicket keeper batsmen in the history of ODI cricket.

However, Dhoni's recent slump in form and the emergence of Rishabh Pant have put forth a new debate - who should be India's first choice wicket-keeper in ODIs?

Although the team management is still backing the experienced Dhoni, Pant is putting forward a strong case for himself with each passing day.

Pant has been the talk of the town ever since he announced his arrival in the Ranji Trophy scene. After his excellent performances in the Test series in England, against West Indies at home and in Australia, he has proved that he is ready to rule the big stage across all formats.

In this article, we look at 3 reasons why many experts feel that the time has come for Rishabh Pant to replace the MS Dhoni as the first choice wicket-keeper batsman for the Indian ODI Team.

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#3 Dhoni is not getting any younger

Age seems to have caught up with Dhoni's reflexes

If recent batting form is any indicator, MS Dhoni seems to be well past his prime. Moreover since he plays only international matches and no domestic cricket nowadays, it often appears as if he is not match ready. The 37-year old plays only white-ball cricket and hence can go long stretches without international assignments.

On the other hand, Pant is only 21 years old and his career is on the rise. He has now firmly established himself as India's premier wicket-keeper batsman in Tests. In T20Is as well, the left-hander has done well in the opportunities he has got so far. So it is high time that he is given regular chances in the ODI lineup too.

#2 Pant has the better striking ability at the moment

Rishabh Pant can clear the boundary at will

When MS Dhoni began his career, he was one of the most attacking batsmen in the world. But in recent years, his biggest problem has been his inability to score runs at a quick pace. Dhoni's strike rate at the start of his innings has been very low quite often. This has resulted in slowing down of the run rate in the middle overs and created extra pressure on the other batsmen.

Rishabh Pant can be the ideal solution for this problem, as he is one of the most devastating hitters of the cricket ball in recent times. His ability to hit big shots will help the side to increase the scoring rate in the middle overs, which is very important in a modern day ODI international match. He also has the ability to rotate the strike and takes much less time to get set compared to Dhoni.

#1 Pant is in a rich vein of form

Rishabh Pant has already scored two Test centuries

Rishabh Pant has been in tremendous form with the bat. He had a stellar Test series in Australia where he finished as the second highest run-scorer behind Cheteshwar Pujara. His flamboyant century at Sydney was a treat to watch for all spectators.

On the other hand, Dhoni's performances with the bat have been below par for the last couple of seasons. He is also struggling to finish close matches, which was the trademark for most of his career. Thus Pant, who is an equally talented match-winner, can step in and do what Dhoni used to do for the team in his heydays.