India and New Zealand are playing the 1st ODI of the 3-match ODI series at Eden Park in Auckland. The absence of Sanju Samson was criticized in the T20I squad, but Shikhar Dhawan’s announcement of Sanju playing the match delighted everyone. However, the Rishabh Pant vs Sanju Samson debate has started again.
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Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill have a brilliant start to the Indian team, but both of them got out in quick succession. Pant was sent at the number 4 slot, and he again had a chance to play a big knock in Auckland, but he failed yet again. He started his inning with a boundary but perished after scoring 15 runs.
Sanju came in to bat at the number 6 slot, and he stitched a decent partnership with Shreyas Iyer. He scored 36 runs in 38 balls and really looked good in his innings. It is certain that the heat is building up on Pant in white-ball formats.
Rishabh Pant vs Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has not played a single test for India, whereas Rishabh Pant has been of the best wicket-keepers in Indian history in tests so, they cannot be compared in the longest format of the game. The debate around both of them has to be in the white-ball formats of the game.
Pant has been criticized for this performance in white-ball formats, but he has done considerably well in the ODI format. He scored a match-winning century against England earlier this year which sealed the series for India, and he scored one century and three half-centuries in the last 10 ODI innings before the 1st ODI vs New Zealand.
Samson has got very limited opportunities, but he has also done well in those innings. He recently played a knock of 86 runs in 63 runs against South Africa. Pant has scored 855 runs in 28 ODIs at 35.62, whereas Samson has scored 330 runs in 11 ODIs at 66.00. Both of them have been reasonably well done in the ODI format.
In T20Is, there is a clear gap between both batters. Samson made his debut before Pant, but he has played just 16 T20Is, whereas Pant has played 66. In 66 T20Is, Pant has just scored 987 runs at 22.43. He has got opportunities, and the Indian team has tried him at different positions, but still, he has not been able to make his mark.
Sanju, on the other hand, has always shown intent with the bat, and he certainly deserves more chances. So, it is tough to compare both batters, but in T20Is, Sanju can get more opportunities if Pant continues to disappoint. In ODIs and Tests, Pant has done really well.
