The next Border Gavaskar Trophy four-match Test series against Australia and the impending Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season are both anticipated to be missed by Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. In the upcoming months, according to former Indian cricketer Maninder Singh, Ishan Kishan should be taken into consideration as Rishabh Pant’s replacement.
Ishan Kishan made his comeback in the third ODI against Bangladesh with a spectacular double-century of 210 runs off 131 balls with 24 fours and 10 sixes despite not being chosen for the T20 World Cup 2022. The southpaw, who joined Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Chris Gayle as the fourth Indians to achieve a double hundred in ODIs, smashed Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest double century in the annals of world cricket.
“If Rishabh Pant isn’t available for selection due to the unfortunate accident, he met with, then I believe the team management should pick up Ishan Kishan (who is also a left-handed batter) for that role across all formats. He’s an ideal candidate for Team India if Pant is not around,” said Maninder. “It is the job of the team management and the selectors to reward players of such potential and I strongly believe Ishan Kishan has that knack of a big-match player. I believe if there is one player who’s nearby Rishabh Pant’s potential across formats, it is Ishan Kishan,” said Maninder.
