Jan 15, 2025 09:03 PM IST
The ex-PAK cricketer chose Rishabh Pant as his first choice. He also said that it would be tough for KL Rahul to make it to the team as a better keeper.
Team India has yet to announce its squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to start on February 18. The selection committee is closely monitoring Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness before announcing the squad for the mega ICC event. Bumrah sustained a back injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and now he is racing against the time to get fit for the 50-over format. Meanwhile, several former cricketers have started making their predictions for the team combination.
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali was asked to make a choice for the wicketkeeper’s choice of India for the mega tournament. He chose Rishabh Pant as his first choice. He also said that it would be tough for KL Rahul to make it to the team as a better keeper.
“Rishabh Pant should be the first choice. Sanju Samson will be the second choice. I think it will be difficult for KL Rahul,” Basit said at an ICC event.
Samson is another option who will surely be on the selection committee’s minds. He has already pipped Pant in the pecking order for T20Is with his recent exploits with the bat. After Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is, Sanju grabbed the opportunity with both hands. While playing as an opener in the shortest format, he showed his class against Bangladesh on home turf with a century. The wicketkeeper batter then went on to etch his name in the history book by becoming the first batter to tonk three centuries in T20Is in a calendar year.
Meanwhile, Basit also gave his take on the fittest player in the Indian squad and he put Virat Kohli ahead of the young players in the squad.
“Virat Kohli has high fitness. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are there but they are not top class players. Players do not have ground fitness like Virat. Like running in the ground, shouting from slips, cover, mid-off, or deep, from four sides of the ground,” he answered.
‘Jasprit Bumrah is the best of all’
Basit also claimed no one in the Indian team is at the same level as Jasprit Bumrah at the moment and only Shami has the capability to match him only if he is fit.
“Jasprit Bumrah is the best of all. You take the names of Shami, Arshdeep, Siraj, no one is close to him. If someone comes a little close it is Shami that too if he is fit,” he concluded.
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