Samson To Replace Pant? Gautam Gambhir's Old Remarks Spark Speculation About Rishabh's Future In Team India

Gautam Gambhir's old comments suggest a big change in the Indian team |Courtesy-AP/IANS

KEY HIGHLIGHTS Gautam Gambhir's old remarks have sparked major speculation

Rishabh Pant's record in white-ball cricket is underwelming

Sanju Samson has got limited chances to play for India

Post their 2024 T20 World Cup win, the Indian cricket team is set for a massive transformation as Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach came to an end after the final. The former India captain was at the helm of affairs for two and a half years after taking charge of the side in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Gautam Gambhir The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) selection process for a new coach is currently ongoing, with secretary Jay Shah recently declaring that the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) has made a two-man shortlist. Speculation states that former Indian cricketer and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentoris the favorite for the top job.

Gambhir is known for taking strong and radical decisions, and his impending arrival in the national set-up is set to stage for drastic changes in the team. If Gautam Gambhir's old comments are anything to go by, it is the wicket-keeper spot that will come under the scanner.

Gautam Gambhir Set To Prefer Sanju Samson Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant's spot will certainly come under the scanner, especially in the T20I format, where his records certainly fail to impress. India's first-choice glovesman in the 2024 T20 World Cup has a poor record at the international level in the shortest format, with 1158 runs in 74 T20IS with an average of 22.70 and a strike rate of 126.55.

Gambhir had pointed out the issue in December 2022 before Pant's accident and called for him to be dropped from white-ball cricket and focus on Tests.

Pant is already among India's greatest-ever wicket-keeper batters in Test cricket, with 2271 runs in 33 games at an average of 43.67 and five centuries to his name.

"First of all, the selectors need to be very clear if he's been rested or dropped. According to me, he must have been] dropped from white-ball cricket. There has never been enough clarity. This word called 'rest' is great to have; it wasn't there when we were playing. Either we were dropped or selected.

"Rishabh had got his opportunities in white-ball cricket and hasn't been able to grab it, and someone else like Ishan Kishan has been able to grab it. So probably now he should just focus on red-ball cricket, and if his turn comes, whenever he gets that opportunity, try and grab it," said Gambhir in December 2022 to ESPN Cricinfo.

"I don't see that happening in the near future, if Ishan continues to play the way he's playing. Because we keep talking about that template, but people like Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav - that template comes to them naturally.

"Everyone wants to see Indian cricket more courageous and fearless. These guys can play in a natural way. Rishabh has got that opportunity, so he can't blame or complain. He's got the opportunity to open, bat at 3-4-5-6, the management has given him every opportunity to succeed in white-ball cricket, but he hasn't been able to. I think he can concentrate on red-ball cricket, which is not bad for Rishabh because at least his entire focus is on his keeping and how he can bat at No. 5 or 6 in Test cricket," Gambhir added.

Moreover, Gambhir has always been a big fan of Samson and has never hidden his admiration for the Rajasthan Royals' captain. The 2011 World Cup-winner had called Samson the most talented young batter in India during the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) and stated he could make a world XI too.

"Sanju Samson is not just the best wicketkeeper batsmen in India but the best young batsman in India! Anyone up for debate?," Gambhir wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

"It’s weird that the only playing eleven Sanju Samson doesn’t find a place is that of India, rest almost everyone is ready for him with open arms," Gambhir said.

There were various other statements about Gambhir coming out in Samson's support. He had once also hit back at Shashi Tharoor for calling him the 'next MS Dhoni.'

Ahead of his reported impending appointment as the head coach of the Indian team as Rahul Dravid's replacement, Gambhir's old remarks have sparked speculation among fans on if India could see a change in their plans as far as the wicket-keeper department goes. With Gambhir previously remarking that India should move past Pant in white-ball cricket and focus on Tests, fans are debating if Pant faces a fight to retain his spot in the team in the shorter formats.

See Fan Reactions Here

It remains to be seen if Samson does get an extended run with the Indian team if Gambhir becomes the new coach. There is no official word on whether the 2007 T20 World Cup-winner will leave his job at KKR and join the Indian team as BCCI continues to maintain a suspense on Dravid's replacement.

The new India coach will have a three-and-a-half-year contract with the national team until December 31, 2027.

Click here to read article