IND vs ENG: Pant likely to feature in limited-overs squad; Suryakumar also in fray
Following India’s emphatic victory over England in the 2nd Test, speculations about the ODI and T20I squads have started doing the rounds. Reports suggest that Rishabh Pant is likely to make a comeback in the limited-overs team after missing out on the Australian tour.
The talented wicketkeeper-batsman was dropped from the white-ball side that toured Australia. Before that, Pant had travelled to New Zealand with the team but didn’t feature in any of the eight limited-overs games. KL Rahul was entrusted with wicketkeeping duties while Sanju Samson got his share of opportunities.
Pant flaunted class in the last two Tests against England
Now, with strong performances in red-ball cricket in Australia and against England at home, Pant has made a strong case for himself. Interestingly, he was not even selected to play in the first Test against Australia. However, the need to play an all-rounder at no.7 helped him to get slotted at no.6 as a wicketkeeper-batsman. He produced two magnificent knocks in the final two Tests. On his arrival in India, he managed two more fifties in two Tests against England.
Suryakumar Yadav likely to get a T20I call-up
This will not be the first time that Pant will make his comeback to the ODI squad. Since his debut in 2017, he has been dropped thrice from the team. According to a Times of India report, Sanju Samson could be dropped to accommodate Pant. However, it has also been revealed that KL Rahul will still don the gloves.
Another player whose name is recurring for the India-England T20I series is that of Suryakumar Yadav. The Mumbai player has been a prolific run-scorer in the domestic circuit and has also performed well for India A side. For the Australian tour as well, Yadav was in the news but eventually wasn’t selected. In the IPL 2020, he managed to score 480 runs for the Mumbai Indians.
The India-England T20I series will be played entirely in Ahmedabad. The five matches will be played between March 12 and 20. The three-match ODI series will be played in Pune on March 23, 26 and 28.
