Roger Binny feels both Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul can fit into the Indian team as batsmen

MS Dhoni, since his absence from the sport, has left a huge void to fill. Youngster Rishabh Pant was given the huge opportunity to step into Dhoni’s shoes. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman was criticized for his inconsistency.

The southpaw was constantly criticized for lack of consistency in his batting as he was often dismissed while playing irresponsible shots. Moreover, he started getting stick for his poor show with the gloves too. Fans bashed Pant for his poor glovework in Cuttack ODI against West Indies where he dropped three catches.

Pant’s inconsistency eventually paved way for KL Rahul to don the wicketkeeping gloves in the limited-overs formats. Pant remained the team’s primary keeper in the Test series against New Zealand but Rahul was assigned the glovework with the white-ball. The Karnataka lad did a splendid job and cemented his place in the Indian side.

Opining on the situation of Pant and Rahul, former India international Roger Binny, in a live chat with Indranil Basu on Sportskeeda Cricket’s Facebook page, said that both the stars could fit well in the playing XI. According to Binny, both Rahul and Pant can fit into the side as batsmen, leading to a healthy competition between the two.

“I think it’s a healthy competition because KL Rahul actually picks himself as a batsman. He is a brilliant opening batsman, who can keep, who can double up as a keeper also for the team, whereas Pant is a middle-order batsman. He is a brilliant talent. He’s got the shots; he is ideally suited for the shorter version of the game. If somebody has a rough season, you can always call back the other. Both can even fit into the team as batsmen,” said Binny.

It is basically what the team needs: Roger Binny

Binny, who was a part of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning squad, said that the skipper will pick Pant if he trusts the youngster to do the job behind the stumps. And, if Pant fails to deliver, the team management can switch their focus to Rahul.

“It is basically what the team needs. See, if the captain feels Rishabh can perform there as a wicket-keeper, he’ll get it. If they lose confidence in Rishabh, they can go back to KL Rahul, but they have somebody in the team who can keep wickets too. That’s a good thing to have with you as captain,” Binny further said.

Both Pant and Rahul will be plying their trade for their respective franchises in the thirteenth edition of the IPL. Pant will be donning the Delhi Capitals jersey while Rahul will be leading Kings XI Punjab. Amid the pandemic, the much-awaited IPL 2020 is set to be organized in the UAE in the September-November window this year.