'India should accept that Pant is not...': Ex-PAK star tears into wicketkeeper

Throwing weight behind Sanju Samson after the star wicketkeeper-batter's questionable exclusion from the Indian playing XI in the recently concluded One Day International (ODIs) series against New Zealand, former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has launched a fresh attack on first-choice gloveman - Rishabh Pant. Extending his woeful run in the limited-overs format on Wednesday, Pant once again failed to fire for the Shikhar Dhawan-led side in the third and final ODI of the New Zealand series.

While Pant has struggled to live up to expectations, Samson played an impressive knock in the 1st ODI before the wicketkeeper-batter was overlooked by the Indian think tank for the remainder of the series. Talking about Samson's ouster from the playing XI, former Pakistan cricketer Kaneria has come up with a bold statement. The former Pakistani cricketer and full-time cricket pundit feels it's time for India to accept that Pant is not a white-ball cricketer.

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“India should accept the fact that Rishabh Pant is not a white-ball cricketer. They have tried him at every position in the order, just so that he can score runs. But what about Sanju Samson? Did he do anything wrong by scoring 36 runs?,” Kaneria said on his Youtube channel. Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson featured in only one match in the entire New Zealand tour.

“From fans to former players, everyone has expressed displeasure over this. All this is very demoralizing for Sanju Samson, as he is being treated like an average cricketer," Kaneria added. Pant has produced scores of 3, 6, 6, 11, 15 and 10 in his last six white-ball outings for the Asian giants. Pant has been named in India's ODI squad for the Bangladesh series. The struggling gloveman is also India's first-choice wicketkeeper in the longest format of the game. India will meet Bangladesh in the ODI series opener on Sunday.

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