With an abundance of talent in Team India's ranks, some players miss out on occasions, and among the ones, to top, this unfortunate list is Sanju Samson. Most times, Sanju Samson isn't included in the side because of Rishabh Pant. While Rishabh Pant has established himself as possibly India's best wicketkeeper batter in Test cricket, he's yet to live up to his billing in white-ball cricket, especially in T20Is. That's where Indian cricket fans have been critical of the team management as Sanju Samson has often warmed the bench due to Rishabh Pant. However, on Friday, it was a rare occasion when both Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant featured in India's starting XI. Despite Sanju Samson's appearance, his supporters were not happy with Rishabh Pant's inclusion and slammed Shikhar Dhawan for giving him a chance in the first ODI against New Zealand on Friday.

The netizens were furious with Shikhar Dhawan's team selection as both Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant's appearances in the XI left India short of a bowler.

While some said that Shikhar Dhawan should have either opted for Deepak Chahar, others advocated for the inclusion of Deepak Hooda in the team.

They claimed that Rishabh Pant should never be a part of India's limited-overs setup and the team management should focus on providing more opportunities to players who do well in the shorter formats.

 

Coming back to the match, India lost to New Zealand by seven wickets in the first ODI in Auckland despite posting 306/7 on the board with Shreyas Iyer top-scoring with 80 runs.

However, Tom Latham's blistering 145-run-knock off 104 deliveries and Kane Williamson's unbeaten 94 took the Kiwis over the line with 2.5 overs to spare.

Earlier, 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 T20I 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.