WTC final: "Rishabh Pant has had the biggest role in India reaching this stage" - Saba Karim

Saba Karim believes Rishabh Pant has been the principal contributor behind India qualifying for the World Test Championship final.

Rishabh Pant played a 97-run knock to help India draw the Sydney Test against Australia. He followed it up with an unbeaten 89 in the fourth innings of the Gabba Test to take India to a series-clinching win in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman was not done yet as he smashed a century in the final Test of the home series against England, a knock which helped India seal a place in the World Test Championship final.

During a discussion on India News, Saba Karim pointed out that Rishabh Pant has made the most significant contributions in India reaching this far and expected the youngster to play a similar role in the title-decider against New Zealand squad for WTC final.

"I feel the World Test Championship final that is going to happen and after that the five Test matches in England, Rishabh Pant will have to play a huge role in that. We should not forget that Rishabh Pant has played a huge role in India reaching the World Test Championship final. If you ask me, I will say that in the entire Indian Test team, Rishabh Pant has had the biggest role in India reaching this stage, both as a batsman and with the wicketkeeping gloves," said Karim.

The former India wicket-keeper highlighted Rishabh Pant's emergence as a reliable batsman has allowed Virat Kohli the luxury of fielding five frontline bowlers in Test matches.

"Since the time Rishabh Pant has made his entry in the Indian Test team, the combination has become very good. Only because of Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli goes into the ground with five bowlers. He knows that he has a reliable batsman like Rishabh Pant, who can come at No.6, bat at a fast pace and play match-winning knocks," observed Karim.

Most times Top-scoring an innings by a Wicket-keeper in ICC World Test Championship:-3: Rishabh Pant3: Quinton de Kock#INDvENG

— The Cricket Panda (@TheCricketPanda) March 6, 2021

Apart from Rishabh Pant, the recent exploits of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin with the bat will surely encourage Kohli to continue his five-bowler strategy in the upcoming India squad for WTC final and the series against England.

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Rishabh Pant is the most improved player in the Indian team: Reetinder Sodhi

Rishabh Pant has sealed a spot in the Indian team across formats

While concurring with Saba Karim, Reetinder Sodhi pointed out that Rishabh Pant's game has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few months.

"I agree with Saba because if we talk about over a period who is the most improved player in international cricket in the Indian team, it is Rishabh Pant. It is across the formats, T20s, ODIs and in Test cricket he had already made a name for himself," said Sodhi.

The former India all-rounder signed off by stating that Rishabh Pant has shown vast improvement in his wicket-keeping as well and expects him to play a crucial role in the WTC final starting from 18 June as per WTC final schedule.

"The patience, temperament and shot selection he has shown, he can change the match on his day, which we saw in Australia. His wicket-keeping used to be criticized often but he has shown improvement there as well. He is a world-class player and his performance can play a pivotal role in the final," concluded Sodhi.

Rishabh Pant stood out with his glovework on difficult tracks in the home series against England. He will hope to carry on with the same momentum, both with the bat and wicket-keeping gloves, on the tour of England.

Check the latest WTC final score here.

So many outstanding performances but Rishabh Pant - what a difference 6 months can make. A poor IPL, questions over his commitment & criticism of his keeping in Aus but has shown everyone what is achievable with hard work. An incredible rise again and hugely inspiring #INDvENG

— Isa Guha (@isaguha) March 6, 2021