Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have been the first-choice wicketkeepers for India in ODIs since 2019. Both batters have done justice to their roles many times as well, but there always comes a time when things need to change so that the flow is maintained. The time for change in ODIs seems to have come now.
KL Rahul has not been the same player after his 66 (107) in the 2023 World Cup Final against Australia. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has struggled in ODIs in the past, and he could not score big in his comeback match against Sri Lanka earlier today.
Perhaps, the BCCI should think about trying out the following three wicketkeepers in ODIs for better performance.
1. Sanju Samson deserves a long run like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul
Imagine having a match-winning hundred to your name in your last ODI, that too in a SENA country, and still being dropped from the squad. That is what has happened with Sanju Samson. The Kerala-based wicketkeeper scored a magnificent 108 in his last ODI knock against South Africa at Boland Park. However, for reasons unknown, he failed to make it to the Indian squad for the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka.
2. Jitesh Sharma
Known for his intent and strike rate in IPL, Jitesh Sharma has decent numbers in List-A cricket as well. He has scored 1,350 runs in 43 innings at an average of 32.14 and a strike rate of just below 30. Notably, he has two hundreds and seven fifties to his name in the List-A format of domestic cricket.
3. Baba Indrajith
Baba Indrajith is an underrated domestic player from Tamil Nadu. The uncapped player was among the top run-scorers in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023. Shedding some light on his numbers in List-A matches, the 30-year-old has scored 1,617 runs in 51 innings at an average of 47.55 and a strike rate of 89.48. Like Jitesh Sharma, Baba has two centuries to his name in this format.
