The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is expected to select India\u2019s 15-member squad by the end of this month for the mega event, to be held in the USA and West Indies from June 1. Pant made his return to competitive cricket last month through IPL 2024 after almost 15 months due to a life-threatening car crash.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pant has so far scored 342 runs in nine innings of IPL 2024 for Delhi Capitals at an average of 48.86 and strike rate of 161.32. He has mainly batted in the middle order and slammed three half-centuries, the latest of which was an unbeaten 88 against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday. Pant has kept wickets in all of DC\u2019s matches, taking ten catches and effecting three stumpings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe way I look at it and what we have seen so far, more so from a fitness perspective, for me, Rishabh Pant has put himself right in front of the queue. It\u2019s great that he\u2019s back playing; is fit and feeling good, which is the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great that he ticked that box from what I have seen so far; he\u2019s moving very, very well halfway through the tournament. The second part is form \u2013 behind the stumps, he\u2019s slick and his hands are smooth. He\u2019s been moving gracefully. With the bat in hand, he\u2019s shown us that he\u2019s back,\u201d said Moody while replying to an IANS query on Star Sports Press Room Show\u2019s \u2018Ticket to World Cup\u2019 episode.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Moody further felt that Pant\u2019s big-match temperament will come in handy in the World Cup while adding that K.L Rahul lends more flexibility as a reserve keeper-batter ahead of Sanju Samson. While Rahul has mainly batted as an opener in IPL 2024 and amassed 302 runs in eight games, Samson has amassed 314 runs in as many games as a top-order batter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhat I like about Pant is that historically, he gets going in big games. He\u2019s a big game player and I like that going into the World Cup because if my side is four down for 60, I have got someone who\u2019s historical record and a temperament who can navigate in that situation and get me a competitive score to get out of jail on a game which was sort of on the edge.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cFor me, he\u2019s there at number one, and regarding second 'keeper, it\u2019s a discussion between Sanju Samson and KL Rahul. I like both of them because they also back up as a reserve top-order batter. K.L. is a little bit flexible and can move both up and down the order, so he can bat anywhere from one to five. He\u2019s shown that more so in 50-over cricket, than in T20s, but he\u2019s shown the capabilities to play in a different way coming in at a different entry point.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the former India cricketer and ex-chief selector, agreed that Pant is the front-runner as India\u2019s wicketkeeper-batter for the T20 World Cup, and opined that Rahul should be picked as the reserve keeper ahead of Samson.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEverybody knows the contest is between Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and KL Rahul. Unfortunately for Sanju, who\u2019s done very well, he hasn\u2019t got a continuous run in T20Is and his record there is not deadly on that front, which is number one. Number two is Sanju can bat only at number three and max, number four.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhereas number three and four slots are already fixed. It\u2019s a no-brainer (Shivam) Dube has to be at number four because he can terrorise the bowlers and opposition. He started to work on countering short balls and is now playing them very well. So when Suryakumar (Yadav) is at three and Dube is at four, and surely Rishabh Pant is at number five, Sanju, unfortunately, misses out.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cTo answer if K.L Rahul should be the reserve wicketkeeper who can bat either as an opener or middle-order batter, yes and it\u2019s for a very simple reason that he\u2019s got a very good track record. You see his T20I record, he\u2019s got hundreds across the globe and has a big-match temperament. So, he will be my reserve wicketkeeper-cum-reserve opener\/batter.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While addressing a pre-match press conference ahead of DC\u2019s IPL match against Mumbai Indians on Saturday afternoon, Sourav Ganguly, the former India skipper serving as the director of cricket in the Delhi-based franchise, backed Pant and Samson to be in India\u2019s squad for the T20 World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I love Sanju Samson; I love Rishabh Pant. Rishabh will go (to the T20 World Cup). Sanju might also go. I'm not saying Sanju should not go. He's as good a player as anybody. He bats and keeps; he's captained Rajasthan superbly. Both can go for T20 WC if selectors feel; but Rishabh will go as he\u2019s back fully.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2024\/04\/moody-feels-pant-ahead-in-keepers-race-for-t20-wc-squad-srikkanth-picks-rahul-over-samson-as-reserve-keeper.JPG", "alt_img": "Moody feels Pant ahead in keepers\u2019 race for T20 WC squad; Srikkanth picks Rahul over Samson as reser", "alt_title": "New Delhi:Match between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Moody Feels Pant Ahead In Keepers\u2019 Race For T20 WC Squad; Srikkanth Picks Rahul Over Samson As Reserve Keeper On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Moody Feels Pant Ahead In Keepers\u2019 Race For T20 WC Squad; Srikkanth Picks Rahul Over Samson As Reserve Keeper, Star Sports Press Room Show: Tom Moody, the former Australia cricketer, thinks Rishabh Pant is ahead of other candidates in.", "seo_keywords": "T20 WC, New Delhi, Tom Moody, Rishabh Pant, T20 World Cup, The Ajit Agarkar, West Indies, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Star Sports Press Room Show, World Cup, Sanju Samson, While Rahul, KL Rahul, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Mumbai Indians, Sourav Ganguly", "tag": "", "tagging": "T20 WC, New Delhi, Tom Moody, Rishabh Pant, T20 World Cup, The Ajit Agarkar, West Indies, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, World Cup, Sanju Samson, While Rahul, KL Rahul, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Mumbai Indians, Sourav Ganguly", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "moody-feels-pant-ahead-in-keepers-race-for-t20-wc-squad-srikkanth-picks-rahul-over-samson-as-reserve-keeper", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "950", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2024-04-26 20:28:04", "updated": "2024-04-26 20:28:04", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "T20 WC, New Delhi, Tom Moody, Rishabh Pant, T20 World Cup, The Ajit Agarkar, West Indies, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Star Sports Press Room Show, World Cup, Sanju Samson, While Rahul, KL Rahul, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Mumbai Indians, Sourav Ganguly", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2024-04-26 20:28:04", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/moody-feels-pant-ahead-in-keepers-race-for-t20-wc-squad-srikkanth-picks-rahul-over-samson-as-reserve-keeper-143400" }