"The Moment Rishabh Pant Is Fit...": Ex India Star Issues Bold KL Rahul vs Shreyas Iyer Statement

06.01.2024 - 18:42 sports.ndtv.com

As India's tour of South Africa concludes, there remain plenty of questions that the selectors and the team management are left to answer.

The performances of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Prasidh Krishna left much to desire while a few others managed to deliver in fragments.

As far as the No. 5 debate goes in the Test team, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels it's a position that will be decided between KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer once wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant is fully fit and ready to return.

With Pant still working his way to make a comeback to the national team, Rahul was given the wicket-keeper's role, making him the team's go-to player behind the stumps across the three formats.

cricket South Africa Cricket Team India Cricket Team South Africa vs India Star Sports Shreyas Iyer Rishabh Pant Kl Rahul Sanjay Manjrekar South Africa India

The Indian cricket team is blessed with talented batters and one of them making strong waves at the top of the order is Yashasvi Jaiswal. The left-handed batter has done wonders for the team in the shortest format of late and is gradually becoming a candidate in all three formats. Jaiswal, who has been picked for the 5-match Test series against England too, has been backed to cement his spot in the team by none other than the legendary Sunil Gavaskar.

"Stress Is Going To Be Lot...": Under-fire Shreyas Iyer Breaks Silence Ahead Of India vs England Test Series

Shreyas Iyer has been under focus since India's Tour of South Africa ended. The middle-order batter did not have a good Test series as he could not post a single big score in four innings. After that he was not picked for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan and there were speculation that the reason was some disciplinary issue. However, Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid clarified that it was not the case and he was not picked as there were other batters in contention. However, Shreyas Iyer will be under focus in the upcoming five-match series against England.

"Something That...": Shreyas Iyer Breaks Silence On Snub For India vs Afghanistan T20I Series

Shreyas Iyer is neither losing his sleep over snub for the Afghanistan T20s nor is he overtly worried about the upcoming England Test series after a forgettable run in South Africa. Iyer was not picked for the ongoing T20 series against Afghanistan and people in know of things said that his missing out had more to do with Indian top-order being stacked with right-handers. "See, right now I'm being in the present. I have finished the match which I was asked to play (Ranji game against Andhra). I came, and I executed, so I am happy with what I'm doing.

Not Sanju Samson Or Jitesh Sharma, Ex-India Star Names Rohit Sharma's 'First Choice' Wicket-Keeper

Former India batter Suresh Raina believes that the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter for Rohit Sharma would be Rishabh Pant. The 26-year-old southpaw is not a part of India's ongoing three-match T20I series against Afghanistan but he is gearing up for a comeback to competitive cricket. Pant, who has started training after recovering from a car accident he met with in December 2022, is expected to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. With the Afghanistan series being India's last T20I assignment before the T20 World Cup, the performance of players in IPL is definitely going to have a say in the selection of the squad for the world event.

"You Cannot Sign Him Off": Ex-India Star Prefers Sanju Samson Over KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant

Former India star Suresh Raina backed Sanju Samson as his leading choice for the wicketkeeper-batter role and called the Kerala player the X-Factor. It is worth noting that Samson and Jitesh Sharma have been included as wicketkeeper-batters in India's squad for three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. Ishan Kishan is not a part of the series as he has asked for rest. Meanwhile, the team management has given no clarity on the absence of KL Rahul, who has cemented his place as wicketkeeper-batter in ODI cricket.

Shreyas Iyer Missing Afghanistan T20Is Due To Disciplinary Reasons? Rahul Dravid Says "Lot Of Batters..."

Shreyas Iyer was one of the big names missing from the Indian cricket team squad that was announced for the T20I series against Afghanistan starting Thursday. With just three T20I matches for the Indian cricket team before the T20 World Cup 2024 in June, these games were crucial for the cricketers to make their case for selection. However, reports claimed that the selectors were not pleased with Shreyas' batting in South Africa and he was not included by the team management due to disciplinary reasons.