Former Indian batter Subramaniam Badrinath has picked Rishabh Pant ahead of KL Rahul for the upcoming ODI series against England. Badrinath said India was missing the X-factor in the ODI World Cup 2023 and thus wants India to back Pant ahead of KL Rahul.
Meanwhile, Rahul is expected to be India’s first-choice wicket-keeper bat in the Champions Trophy as he has done a fantastic job while batting at number five.
Pant has scored 871 runs in 31 ODI matches at an average of 33.5 whereas Rahul has amassed 2851 runs in 77 ODIs at an average of 49.16.
“There is one more spot, which is between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. I still think it’s a 50-50 decision. Yes, KL Rahul has done well and he has been in good form, but I want that X-factor. I am a big fan of Rishabh Pant. I think Rishabh Pant is a future captain in multiple formats,” Badrinath said on Star Sports show Game Plan.
“I don’t know which formats, definitely in Test cricket, but then going on probably in white-ball cricket as well. So I want to give an extended rope to Rishabh Pant, being a left-hander and the X-factor that he brings in. That’s what you need. That’s what happened. The X-factor was missing in the World Cup final,” Badrinath added.
On the other hand, former Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla said he would prefer KL Rahul ahead of Rishabh Pant as India’s wicket-keeper.
“It is a very difficult call but if I am asked, I will go with KL Rahul because for the last little while in 50-over cricket, if we talk about the World Cup and India haven’t played much ODI cricket after that, he has performed well in whichever number he has been asked to bat, whether it’s the top of the order, middle order or lower-middle order,” he said.
Chawla highlighted that Pant’s white-ball record is not as great as his Test numbers.
“You get tempted for sure to have a player like Rishabh Pant as he is an X-factor and can change the game. However, he has performed exceptionally in Tests but if you check his white-ball numbers, they are not great. I don’t need a left-hander in the middle either,” Chawla observed.
The first ODI between India and England will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur on Thursday.
