Sanju Samson’s double ton could make the path ahead for Rishabh Pant more challenging

Indian cricket has seen in the past talented players fading out without fulfilling the expectations that the world had for them. The likes of Vinod Kambli and Irfan Pathan are such examples. And now, the danger is lurking in the career of dashing wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant.

The 22-year-old cricketer saw a meteoric rise in international cricket since hitting a hundred in his debut Test series in England last year and then in Australia earlier this year. He is being seen as the true successor to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But despite all that, it seems there is a considerable gap still existing between the cup and the lips.

When Pant was not picked initially for India’s World Cup squad a few months ago, a section of the media and fans was not happy. He has often been called “special” by former players like Sourav Ganguly who has seen him from close quarters while mentoring Delhi Capitals – the franchise that Pant plays for in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

But Pant has done his reputation little favor over the last few months, especially in the limited-over versions. His reckless shots to invite his own downfall in games have not gone down and that has left the team management and experts frustrated. He had a great opportunity to become the hero in the semi-final of the World Cup that he got to play eventually but threw away his wicket after getting settled, only to earn the fans’ wrath.

Rishabh Pant has now found himself out of Test XI also

Pant had an ordinary few series against the West Indies and South Africa across formats and scored just one fifty. The worse part in his career came when the Delhi keeper got excluded from the Test XI as well at home against the Proteas. His place went to the senior Wriddhiman Saha who made a comeback recently which shows that his glove-work on turning wickets is still suspect.

With his name not featuring in the XI of the format he has played the best, questions are now being raised over the future of the young cricketer. On Saturday, another wicketkeeper-batsman – Sanju Samson – slammed 212* in just 129 balls for his state Kerala against Goa in a 50-over match in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy in Alur, Karnataka. Sanju, who has made a brief appearance in international cricket, has been in discussion for some time and this knock of his will put more pressure on Pant for sure.

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