Fans of India wicketkeeper batters Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson were engaged in an ugly war of words on Twitter after Wasim Jaffer excluded the latter from the national team's probable playing XI for the first ODI game against New Zealand on Thursday.

With the match scheduled to take place on Friday, Wasim Jaffer announced the names of the eleven Indian players who according to him will feature in the ODI series opener at Eden Park.

“No wrist spinners cos Eden Park has small boundaries. Backing Sundar & Hooda vs 4 NZ lefties. Bat deep with Chahar @ 9. ODIs at Eden park often decided by lower order camoes. #NZvIND,” Wasim Jaffer tweeted.

As there was no mention of Sanju Samson in his line-up, his supporters took to Twitter to slam Wasim Jaffer for ignoring him and instead picking the out-of-form Rishabh Pant in his potential starting XI.

“No Samson!!! The bias towards Pant is clear and it's disappointing that people who can highlight this are not doing so coz they are afraid of BCCI,” a Sanju Samson admirer tore into Wasim Jaffer. “It is understandable that everyone wants to have a left hander in the middle order. But enough is enough!,” another added.

https://twitter.com/koibaatnahi9/status/1595684487975034880

 

Before their fans clashed on Twitter, India allrounder Reetinder Sodhi ripped into Rishabh Pant, calling him a “liability” in the national side's T20I set-up following his twin failures in the T20I series against New Zealand. India won the three-match series 1-0.

“He is becoming a liability for Team India. If it's like this, then bring in Sanju Samson. End of the day, you got to take that chance because you cannot afford to lose and exit in World Cup or ICC tournaments. When you give too many chances, problems arise. The time has come to provide opportunities to new guys,” Reetinder Sodhi told Sportskeeda.

“Only time will tell how many opportunities and how long he gets. Time is passing and he really has to tighten his shoes. Everything has a limit. You cannot depend on one player for so long. If he is not performing, you got to show him the exit door,” Reetinder Sodhi said further.

“We all know Rishabh Pant is a match-winner, but you don't score runs. You don't help win your team. You got the opportunity in an important event like World Cup. I accept that initially, he didn't get the opportunity, but whenever you get a chance, your job is to perform, which has not happened. It's time that selectors think beyond him,” Reetinder Sodhi pointed out.

Reetinder Sodhi's scathing criticism of Rishabh Pant came after he flopped again in T20Is, this time in the final game of the three-match series against New Zealand in Napier.

Opening the batting for India, Rishabh Pant only managed to score 11 runs off 5 balls before being sent back by Tim Southee at McLean Park. This was his second consecutive failure in the series after he was dismissed for 6 from 13 deliveries in Mount Maunganui.

Overall, the left-hand batter has made 364 runs in 21 innings this year. Moreover, his runs have come at a disappointing average of 21.41 with only a single fifty to his name.

Meanwhile, Sanju Samson has accumulated 179 runs in five knocks in 2022. Unlike Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson has scored his runs at a healthy average of 44.75. He last donned an India jersey in August when the national team was on a tour of the West Indies.

On the other hand, former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim said that Rishabh Pant has got plenty of opportunities. While the team management still believes that he's a prodigious talent in every format of the game, he hasn't delivered in T20Is.

“Rishabh Pant has been tried at different positions because he has failed to deliver on those particular spots. The team management still believes he has an incredible talent to perform in T20 cricket,” Saba Karim told India News.

“This situation wouldn't have arrived if they had played him in a particular position. He has got plenty of opportunities. I think it's time for a lot of discussions,” Saba Karim signed off.

India's ODI squad for New Zealand series: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen, Umran Malik.

New Zealand squad ODIs against India: Kane Williamson (Captain), Michael Bracewell, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Tim Southee