Rishabh Pant or Sanju Samson?: Sushma Verma tries to make sense of India wicketkeeper debate

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sushma Verma celebrated her return to the national team after she was called up for India's upcoming tri-series against South Africa and the West Indies next month. The veteran cricketer opened up on the hardship of being a wicketkeeper-batter while talking about the debate around Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson in the men's team.

Sushma Verma, 30, last played for India in the T20I format in 2016 but has been recalled for the Asian side's tri-series campaign involving South Africa and West Indies in January ahead of the T20 World Cup in South Africa. Verma has not been able to get a look into the national side due to stiff competition for the wicketkeeping role with the emergence of talented youngsters like Yastika Bhatia and Richa Ghosh. 

She also feels that the team opts for different personnel given the tactical requirements and balance of the side. She cited the example of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, saying that somedays some teams might need a powerful hitter like Pant while other days they will need someone like Samson to steady the ship.

"I feel for wicketkeepers (to play) in general, it all depends on the kind of support staff they have in addition to what the team management and captain wanted. It also depends on the opponent, conditions, and what skill you are backing. There could be days when you need Rishabh Pant or maybe in some other match, he’s not needed. So it depends on what the requirement actually is," Sushma said in a chat with News18 CricketNext.

I feel this hype is more from the outside rather than among the players: Sushma Verma

Talking about the competition in the team, the wicketkeeper-batter reckoned that the players are aware of the requirements and often don't pay heed to the outside chatter. They know that their selection is not always in their own hands, and instead of complaining, they should focus on leveling up their own game.

"As a player, I feel this hype is more from the outside rather than among the players. They understand that not everything will work out in their favor. Even in my case, I used to feel wicketkeeping is something that is being ignored. But it all boils down to the reason. Maybe a certain wicketkeeper playing ahead of me because of being a better batter. So why don’t I level up as well?" she added.