Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has made headlines by excluding wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson from his preferred playing XI for the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Saturday, July 27. Instead, Jaffer has chosen Rishabh Pant as the primary wicketkeeper.
Jaffer’s lineup features Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill as openers, with Pant at the No. 3 spot. The middle order consists of India’s new captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube, while Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh are designated as finishers. The bowling attack includes Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, and Axar Patel.
Comparison of Pant and Samson’s Performances
Rishabh Pant stands out with the second most dismissals for India in T20Is, totaling 48 in 60 innings, including 10 stumpings. Only MS Dhoni surpasses him with 91 dismissals in 97 innings. Samson, by contrast, has 11 dismissals in 13 T20I innings.
Pant was India’s first-choice wicketkeeper during the 2024 T20 World Cup, accumulating 171 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 127.61. However, he struggled in critical matches, scoring 15, 4, and 0 against Australia, England, and South Africa, respectively. In the recent T20I series against Zimbabwe, Samson managed scores of 0, unbeaten 12, and 58.
Overall, Pant has scored 1158 runs in 64 T20I innings at a strike rate of 126.56, while Samson has 444 runs in 24 T20Is at a strike rate of 133.33.
Despite his recent performance, Samson remains eager for opportunities, having already been left out of the ODI series against Sri Lanka despite a century in his last ODI appearance against South Africa.
