Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has rejected the idea of Rishabh Pant getting replaced by KL Rahul as India's full-time wicketkeeper in the longest format. Gambhir also explained why Rahul is not an ideal choice to replace Pant behind the stumps.
Gambhir, who is a part of the commentary panel for the South Africa Test series was recently asked about Pant's dip in form during a discussion on Star Sports. "We have seen Pant getting out in same fashion multiple times. Is their a possibility to make Rahul keeper and play an extra batsman if Pant continues to get out on rash shots," a fan asked Gambhir during the interaction.
Responding to the fan’s question, Gambhir opined that it is not feasible to replace Pant by Rahul as India's designated wicketkeeper in the red-ball format.
"I will just say Rahul as opener. If you see any wicketkeeper, if he keeps for 150 overs and then he has to play the first ball, it is next to impossible. It can work in ODIs and T20Is but you need a regular wicket-keeper in Test matches.
“Your wicketkeeper cannot be an opening batter in Tests, it can be a one-off case when you don’t have an opener. But it is not a long-term solution. So Rahul as keeper – definitely not, because you want him to score runs against the new ball and he has just started to get into the rhythm of Test cricket,” Gambhir said.
Pant has been under heavy criticism for his slump in form. The 24-year-old has struggled with the bat in the ongoing series against South Africa. His rash shot in the Johannesburg Test also led to widespread criticism. On the other hand, Rahul has kept wickets for India in the limited-overs and has been a regular wicketkeeper in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the last 3 seasons.
