Rishabh Pant has been inconsistent, Sanju Samson has shown better dedication to play for India: Kevin Pietersen

Currently, there have been a lot of debates going over who is in a better position to take up the job of wicket-keeping for team India. The discussion started gaining a lot of heat when legendary cricketer MS Dhoni decided to draw curtains on his international career.

Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson are two names that are being talked about taking the same job. In the same light, former English batsman Kevin Pietersen believes that Sanju Samson is the right man for this job.

Pant has more experience at the international level as compared to Samson, but Pietersen believes that Samson has an edge over him. Pant debuted in international cricket in 2017 and has shown up in Test cricket too, but he is being criticized often for throwing away starts carelessly.

Samson lacks international experience, and his downward journey has also begun in IPL 2020 as per the last few matches. In the same light, he might have to wait for the big job with team India. Pietersen believes that Pant doesn’t turn up well as he is expected to and has an inconsistent scoring rate.

“Rishabh Pant is someone who disappoints because we expect a lot from him. In order to get that India tag and play international cricket, you need to show some consistency and get better. But I am seeing the same player that I saw the year before, the year before, and the year before that. For as long as he has played, he has been inconsistent,” said Pietersen as quoted by India Today.

When I see Sanju Samson, I see somebody completely different: Kevin Pietersen

Both Samson and Pant have gathered 176 runs so far in IPL 2020 season, but Pietersen believes that Samson has shown better dedication in the game. The way he has worked for his fitness and form is also laudable ahead of the big T20 league.

“And when I see Sanju Samson, I see somebody completely different. The dedication and commitment that he put into, turning up for this year’s IPL that mighty impressed me. That actually got me having him ahead of Rishabh Pant. Just purely from a diet basis, fitness basis, and a dedication space, Samson seems to say ‘I want to go out there and do everything in my power to play cricket for India’”, concluded Pietersen.