"He may just have to miss out" - Former batting coach on Rishabh Pant's place in India's playing XI for IND vs ENG 2025 T20Is

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar reckons Rishabh Pant might not get a place in the hosts' playing XI in the upcoming T20I series against England. He pointed out that Sanju Samson has virtually cemented his place as a wicketkeeper-batter in the shortest format.

India will face England in five T20Is, with the first game to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on January 22. The two sides will subsequently lock horns in a three-match ODI series from February 6 onwards.

During a discussion on the Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues,' Sanjay Bangar was asked about Rishabh Pant's place in India's playing XI for the T20Is against England.

"Based on the evidence of the last series, because there is one place for a wicketkeeper-batter, and if a wicketkeeper-batter in Sanju Samson has taken the chances with both hands and performed with such magnitude, it's very hard to have two wicketkeeper-batters in the slot," he replied.

"If he is slated to bat in the top three, then certainly yes, but at No. 5 or No. 6, even though he was part of the T20 World Cup winning squad and it was his intelligence which led to that breakthrough for the Indian team, that is the level of competition at this moment in T20 cricket that he may just have to miss out," Bangar added.

The former India all-rounder further said Tilak Varma and other left-handed batters' presence in the XI makes it even more difficult for Pant to get a place.

"With Tilak Varma also being a left-hander who performed so well, whether that left-hander thing also comes into the equation goes away slightly because you have plenty of left-handers in the squad as well," Bangar observed.

Sanju Samson has struck three centuries as an opener in his last five T20I innings. Tilak Varma has smashed hundreds at No. 3 in India's last two T20Is.

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"He will definitely be in my squad, not necessarily in the playing XI" - Deep Dasgupta on Rishabh Pant in T20Is

Rishabh Pant has scored 1209 runs at an average of 23.25 in 66 T20I innings. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Deep Dasgupta opined that he would pick Rishabh Pant in his squad although he might not feature in his playing XI.

"He will definitely be in my squad, not necessarily in the playing XI, because he is someone I believe his best position in this format is in the top three or four. He has generally been playing at positions four to six, whether it's in the IPL or for India," he said.

Pant has scored 359 runs at an average of 22.43 in 19 T20I innings in the top three. He has aggregated 850 runs at a slightly better average of 23.61 in 47 T20I innings at No. 4 or lower.