Former Indian captain and presently the president of BCCI, Sourav Ganguly has hailed Rishabh Pant to be a special talent despite rising criticisms on the young wicketkeeper-batsman over his form in limited-overs cricket.
Pant has constantly been criticised by fans and veterans at times for his poor performances in T20Is and ODIs. In fact, the selectors have even called upon Sanju Samson as a back-up option, but despite the faltering performance, the Kerala-based batsman did not make his appearance for India.
Speaking to Times of India about Pant's struggle, Ganguly said, “These are selection matters which are dealt by selectors. But Rishabh (Pant) is a special talent and we saw how he played well in the two matches he played against West Indies.”
“His record in Test cricket has been good but the end decision would be left to the selectors,” he added.
Pant and Samson are both part of the T20I series against Sri Lanka at home. The first game was washed out by rain and wet patches son the track, where Samson was once again not considered as part of the playing XI. The second game will be played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Tuesday. The final tie will be on January 10 in Pune.