3 reasons why India should back Rishabh Pant as their Test wicketkeeper

Rishabh Pant is one of the most exciting youngsters in world cricket at the moment. He has had an excellent outing in his first-class career so far and was quite deservingly awarded his Test cap. However, in the five innings, he batted so far, he could not show his full potential. In a team like India, the margin of error is very low and the competition for a spot in the playing XI is very high. So the chances of Pant getting temporarily ousted from the team is fairly high, especially when their primary wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha is set to return from his injury.

Here are three reasons why we think Pant should be given a longer run with the Test cap.

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#3. He is actually good with the gloves

Pant is a pretty good keeper.

The reason why India backed Wriddhiman Saha even after his mediocre performances with the bat is his glove work. Saha is probably the best wicketkeeper at this level of the game in India, especially in the challenging conditions in India. Pant is yet to prove in that aspect, but his keeping in England was pretty decent, to say the least. He took seven catches in his debut game, making him only the fourth Indian keeper to take five catches in his debut Test. Although he conceded some tough byes, he saved many runs behind the wicket.

#2. He can bat better than Saha

Pant averages almost 50 in his First Class career

Even though he is the best gloveman in the country, Wriddhiman Saha is not the best when it comes to batting. Saha averages a meagre 30 in his Test career with the bat. His away average is around 29. His away average further drops to 23 when his performance in West Indies is neglected. This is really poor for a modern-day wicketkeeper. Giving opportunities sporadically is one thing that can trigger this abysmal batting performance, but Saha was India's primary wicketkeeper since the retirement of MS Dhoni. He was consistently in the playing XI but kept on failing with the bat.

Only time will tell if Pant can perform worse than this. If his first-class performance is anything to go by, it is evident that he can bat long. Him being aggressive is a quality that would help to score quickly when he is batting with the tail.

#1. He has time on his side.

Rishabh Pant made his test debut at an age of 20

Rishabh Pant is just 20-years-old whereas both Saha and Dinesh Karthik are 33. The difference is 13 crucial years. Investing time and effort in Saha and Karthik are not efficient in the long run since they would most probably retire in next three or four years. However, if India were to put this time and effort in Pant, it would help him mould into a more mature batsman.

Pant has already shown us that he is someone who can learn really quickly. And he is in the developing phase of his career, where every bit of experience can make a huge difference.