Simon Doull Pant Likely To Shift Role| Samson, Pandya Left Out Of India’s T20WC Squad

Simon Doull has overlooked Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson in his favored India squad for the T20 World Cup, despite Samson’s impressive performance in the IPL 2024 match against Lucknow SuperGiants. Samson’s thundering knock of 71* runs in just 33 balls on Saturday failed to affect Doull’s selection.

The main challenge for Ajit Agarkar’s team is allocating two wicket-keeping spots for the World Cup. Despite Rishabh Pant emerging as the standout candidate owing to his consistent performances in IPL 2024. The backup role poses a significant dilemma. With the likes of Samson, KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik also competing for consideration. And the selection team faces the intricate task of weighing various factors to make an informed decision.

During an interview with Cricbuzz, Doull opted to bypass Samson and instead named Pant as the primary keeper, with Rahul designated as his backup. Delving into his decision-making process, Doull explained that he chose to assign Pant the crucial No. 3 batting position. This decision stemmed from the necessity to accommodate both Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh in the lineup.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. 💪 pic.twitter.com/NLALtWHGYV

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 27, 2024

Preferring Dube for his outstanding batting display with Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024. Doull chose to exclude Hardik Pandya from the squad. The Mumbai Indians captain, has struggled in IPL 2024 scoring only 197 runs in nine matches and taking just four wickets in 17 overs bowled throughout the season.

With the T20 World Cup approaching, the selection of the Indian squad is under intense scrutiny with analysts like Doull weighing in on the potential lineup. Despite Samson’s IPL performance, Doull’s choices focus on balance, utility players, leaving out Pandya. And also favoring Pant as the primary wicketkeeper-batsman.