Before Gautam Gambhir’s coaching stint, India’s squads across all three formats were largely similar. Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant were key members of all three formats. However, since Gambhir took over, India has been fielding different teams for each format. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, no player has a guaranteed spot in all three formats.
Axar Patel may make Rishabh Pant warm the bench, says Sanjay Manjrekar
Rishabh Pant, who was India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, is now warming the bench. In the ongoing India vs England ODI series, the team management has entrusted KL Rahul with wicketkeeping duties, and Pant was not included in the playing XI for the first ODI. Meanwhile, Sanjay Manjrekar believes that securing a place in the playing XI has become even more difficult for Pant due to Axar Patel’s impressive form.
“Before the match started, there was a suggestion from me that maybe Rishabh Pant could be tried only with the Champions Trophy in mind. Plus, India would have a left-hander in the top six or seven. Axar Patel is a great option to have because this is a guy, we have seen him bat in Test matches for India, and he has a batter’s temperament.” said Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNCricinfo.
Sanjay further said that Axar Patel has been batting well against spin, and since the Champions Trophy will be played on Asian pitches, spinners will have an impact. So, picking Axar Patel over Rishabh Pant would be an advantage, as he also adds value with his bowling.
“Axar Patel looked good against spinners. Because this Champions Trophy is going to be played in our part of the world, there’s going to be a lot of spin impact on the games. Axar Patel is a terrific option to have in the middle, thereby perhaps delaying Rishabh Pant’s chances of coming back in. Now, they have found a left-hander that they can bat in the middle.” Manjrekar added.
After recovering from a horrific car accident in 2022, Rishabh Pant has played just one ODI in 2024, against Sri Lanka, where he managed to score only 6 runs. While he remains a key member of the Test team, he has yet to make a strong impact in ODIs. So far, Pant has scored 871 runs in 31 ODIs at an average of 33.50.