DECODED
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Barring KL Rahul, a reluctant wicketkeeper, India currently boast four wicket-keeping options ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Three of them are a part of India’s ongoing series against South Africa, featuring in the XI simultaneously. Sanju Samson is left out but he will have his chance in the two T20Is against Ireland.
However, three wicketkeepers in the same XI is a unique situation, possible only because some certain starters for the World Cup are rested in this series. Once they are back, it is likely that India will have to pick one from this rich group of wicketkeeping options. But their wicketkeeping aside, what merits and demerits do each of these candidates offer? Let’s discuss:
Ishan Kishan
An audacious striker of the ball, Ishan Kishan can be a pocket dynamite at the top of the order. When in good touch, he doesn’t like to waste deliveries. Hence, Kishan becomes a good opening partner for either KL Rahul or Rohit Sharma who might prefer taking their time on occasions. The fact that he is a left-hander will restrict the opponents from playing the match-up card against two righties upfront.
The tricky part with Kishan is his game versus spin. Since 2021, Kishan averages 33.5 against the spinners at a modest strike-rate of 123. He ranks the low on both facets in the four options we are discussing in this piece.
Considering the post powerplay numbers, the average falls to 25.2 with no significant improvement in the scoring rate. The first half of IPL 2021 carried the perfect representation of his travails against spin on sluggish tracks. Such conditions will be a rarity in the T20 World Cup in Australia but it still diminishes Kishan’s aspects in the middle-order. This is, in fact, a killer blow to his chances considering India’s top-order seems already booked. Knowing India have played Kishan in each of their last four series, he appears to be the first back-up opener for the flight to Australia.
Rishabh Pant
There are two avatars of Rishabh Pant. One exercises his full range to produce blistering boundaries through the off side. The other tries to hit everything into the on-side. The former is a breathtaking batter to watch. The ease with which he clears the off-side is refreshing. The latter looks like a mere slogger.
In his zone, he bemuses the best of bowling attacks. Otherwise, he is a fish out of water. This pretty much summarizes the opportunities and obstacles related to Pant.
His biggest positive is the generational talent that India have enjoyed in Test cricket. When it comes to T20Is, however, he averages 23.3 at a strike-rate of 125.9. He seems like a batter still trying to figure out his most efficient approach. Since 2021, Pant has only batted in positions 3, 4 & 5. Yet, his average innings is 24 off 18 balls, which is neither high enough on runs nor impactful enough for a cameo.
Pant has been troubled by high pace, averaging only 11.6 in the time frame against 140kph+ deliveries. Against short and back of a length balls from pacers, he has 148 runs (10 dismissals) at a strike-rate of 134.5.
But he is inarguably the frontrunner for the wicketkeeper’s slot. For starters, he is exactly the kind of a left-hander a T20 batting setup demands. He can bat at four, thus breaking the monotony of right-handers in the Indian team and holds an ace game against spin. Despite not fulfilling his potential in white-ball cricket as yet, Pant has shown enough glimpses which make you believe that it is only a matter of time with him. India will hope that time comes in the World cup.
Sanju Samson
There are few doubts about the potential impact of Sanju Samson, the T20 batter and it is a shame that he has played only 13 T20Is for India since his debut in 2015. He bats at the right pace for modern-day T20 cricket which reflects in his strike-rate. Since 2021, Samson has the highest strike-rate against spin in this lot (135.7) and the second highest against pace (143.9). These qualities make him an ideal T20 middle-order batter.
His only criticism is that he doesn’t bat long enough. In a country where runs are weighed by the quantity rather than the impact, it has cost Samson. In IPL 2022, the right-hander consistently played knocks of positive impact but a par average of 28.6 didn’t find Samson a place in India’s squad for the South Africa series.
In this regard, Samson is a lot like Pant. Except he is not a left-hander. Had that been the case, Samson would have played a lot more T20s for India.
Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik’s late bloom has provided India with an additional option for the finisher’s role - one spot up for grabs in the current setup of the Men in Blue. 2021 onwards, many have auditioned for the part without emerging as a clear choice. This includes Hardik Pandya who has not done much in that specific role, owing to injuries and other reasons.
Karthik showed in the IPL why he is the perfect finisher. He scored most runs at the death in IPL 2022, while averaging 83.7 at a strike-rate of 207.4.
Since 2021, his numbers against the short pitched deliveries are second to none (refer to the graph above). He has tackled the 140kph+ deliveries at a strike-rate of 177.3, comfortably the best in the lot discussed in this article. Strike-rate in the first 10 balls of the innings - 141.1 - is also above everyone else. The statistics indicate he is the perfect contender to support Pandya at the death.
But his inclusion will disrupt the team balance. His below par numbers against spin means he should be reserved for the last five overs. That takes a potential all-rounder’s spot at number six or seven which is critical for India given they lack a bowling option in top five. One way to solve that would be to fit Deepak Hooda or Ravindra Jadeja in top four but that will lead to too many changes in the combination.
