Off The Field

Rishabh Pant has to be in India’s squad for T20 World Cup, says Stuart Broad

Written by Vipin Darwade

The discussions around India’s squad for the T20 World Cup are rife before the selection committee makes the official announcement. The spots are limited and the contenders are too many which ultimately makes the selection process interesting as the fans and experts eagerly want to know which 15 players would be making it to the flight to the US. The wicketkeepers’ spot seems to be the most fought for and it will be an uphill task for Ajit Agarkar & Co to zero in on a name or two.

One of the candidates is Rishabh Pant who is back on the field after a miraculous recovery from the injuries suffered in a horrific car crash. The Delhi Capitals skipper is the leading scorer of his team and has been equally impressive behind the stumps as well. Pant has so far amassed 210 runs in 7 matches at the IPL 2024, also scoring a couple of half-centuries.

Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad has thrown his weight behind Pant’s selection for the T20 World Cup 2024, stating that the keeper-batter is ready to roll.

“The selection for the Indian team is up in the air a little bit. You have some players pending in that team. Rishabh Pant’s probably the one on whom there’s a lot of discussion about. There was a shot I saw him play against KKR, a no-look flick over deep square leg for six. The moment he played that shot, I thought, he has got to be in that T20 World Cup squad. He’s ready. He’s good to go,” said Broad on Star Sports.

“He has taken a huge amount on; he’s been out of the game for such a long period. He’s captain, he’s wicketkeeper, he’s batting 3, 4, 5. There’s a huge amount on his plate already. I’d like to see him be an Impact Sub in a couple of games, taking a bit of the workload off his shoulders. He’s a match-winner, so I think if I was the selector, he’d be my wicketkeeper in the World Cup squad,” Broad added.

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Vipin Darwade