Ranking India's best wicket-keeping options ahead of the 2019 World Cup

Although MS Dhoni's skills tell us a different story, believe me, wicket-keeping is by far one of the toughest jobs, especially in ODI format. Wicket-keeping demands an enormous amount of diligence, sharpness, and flexibility. Much so, comprising on this front can cost you a lot. Hence, irrespective of the formats, the wicket-keeper is a vital cog in any team.

India has been quite lucky in this regard as they have quite a few quality options in their ranks who can do the duty for India in the upcoming World Cup. The 2019 World Cup is slated to start from 30 May 2019 in England and Wales.

With the quadrennial event just four months away, the Indian team's preparations are going on in full swing to make sure that they have their hands on the silverware in June this year. Besides marking out the mainstays for the coveted world championship, the selectors would also have looked for a few backup options.

Hence, with good glove-men at our disposal ahead of the World Cup, let us rank all the wicket-keeping options while analyzing their recent performances both with the gloves and with the bat.

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#3 Rishabh Pant

Over the past few months, Rishabh Pant has grown to become one of the preferred wicket-keepers for India.

Batting

Having made his ODI debut in October 2018 against West Indies, Rishabh Pant hasn't made his mark in the 50-over format. The Delhi boy happened to play only three matches in his debut series and managed to score just 41 runs at an average of 20.50 and a strike-rate of 132.25. However, the numbers don't speak the entire story as Pant possesses an exceptional batting hand. Nonetheless, the left-handed batsman will unquestionably need to step up his batting to be a prospective addition for India.

Wicket-keeping

Rishabh Pant hasn't had a long-drawn experience with the gloves in the shorter formats of the game. Instead, he has had most of his wicket-keeping exposure in Tests. And in the Test format, the southpaw has been a bit wayward behind the stumps, especially in the swinging conditions where he has had the reputation of committing a bit too early. Even though he has improved considerably since his debut, he needs to evolve a bit more to be counted as an adequate wicket-keeping option for India.

Final Verdict

Thus, being a quality batsman and an able wicket-keeper, Pant unquestionably stands as the third-ranked choice for India ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

#2 Dinesh Karthik

In the recent past, Dinesh Karthik has managed to perform considerably well for India across all the formats except Tests

Batting

With the willow, Dinesh Karthik is undoubtedly in the form of his life. And his numbers since January 2018 are a testimony to it. Having played 10 ODIs since January 2018, the Tamil Nadu cricketer has notched-up 204 runs at an average of 40.80 - pretty decent numbers for a lower middle-order batsman. Moreover, over last twelve months, Karthik has shown immense calmness and composure which has helped Indian team in crunch situations.

Wicket-keeping

Dinesh Karthik has had a decent experience behind the stumps. To be fair enough, the TN-born player has been one of the most underrated men with the gloves. Technically, Karthik is a sound wicket-keeper with sumptuous hand-eye coordination. However, in the recent past, DK hasn't got plenty of chances to keep wickets.

Final Verdict

Hence, having considered his batting and wicket-keeping exploits, Dinesh Karthik calls for the second best option as a wicket-keeper batsman for India ahead of the upcoming grand event.

#1 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni has for long been India's mainstay in the Indian cricket team, especially in ODIs and T20Is.

Batting

Pending his inability to score runs, MS Dhoni was under severe scrutiny for the whole of 2018. Many fans and cricket pundits even sidelined him for the 2019 World Cup as he failed to score a single 50 plus score in the whole of 2018.

However, as Ricky Ponting once rightly said, "Things can turn around in this game pretty quickly, and one thing I've learned in this game with champion players is to never write them off. They always find a way to keep coming back".

MS Dhoni managed to make a strong a comeback in the year 2019 as he kicked off the year in style by hitting three consecutive fifties against Australia. Going by his recent form with the bat, Dhoni is one of the key batsmen for India ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

Wicket-keeping

When it comes to wicket-keeping, MS Dhoni is by far the best bet in the world. His timing and reflexes are something that remains unmatched. Unsurprisingly, MS also holds the record of fastest ever stumping (0.08 seconds) in the history of international cricket. However, one more thing for which Dhoni needs to be appreciated is his catching skills behind the stumps.

Final Verdict

Thus, owing to his current form with the bat and his extraordinary wicket-keeping skills, MS Dhoni happens to be the best choice for India ahead of the nearing quadrennial event - 2019 World Cup.