Pant's coach questions reasoning for omission

A World Cup selection is rarely without disagreements and heartaches. The Indian cricket team selection too is facing several questions, chiefly pertaining to the omission of young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant.

Pant's non-inclusion for the quadrennial event has evoked a sympathy wave. The attacking flavour in his batting has won him many admirers, all of whom believed he deserved a place in the 15-member World Cup squad. That list also includes his coach and mentor Tarak Sinha, who admitted to being disappointed with the result.

“I would be lying if I say I'm not disappointed. But a sportsman learns to move on with the setbacks. He is young and has a great future ahead of him,” said Sinha who has produced 10 India internationals, including Ashish Nehra and Shikhar Dhawan.

After shining on the domestic scene with his rapid scoring rate, Pant made an immediate impact following his selection for the Test squad for the 2018 tour of England. He hit his maiden Test century on the tour and followed it up with another in Australia, where he also equalled the world record of most catches (11) in a Test.

“The record is proof that Rishabh is a good wicket-keeper. The argument that the selectors were not sure of his work behind the stumps is strange. If Rishabh was not good, why did he then replace Karthik for the England tour? You pick Karthik if you want to but don't discourage a youngster by questioning his keeping skills,” Sinha said.

“He has hit centuries in countries where batting is a challenge. The pitches and conditions test you as wicketkeeper also. I was not happy when Rishabh was constantly expected to perform. We all know he has the X-factor to swing a game on his own. By excluding him we have taken a step backwards.”

Sinha also defended Pant over criticism about his wicket-keeping skills.“Have Dhoni or Karthik not missed stumpings or catches? Rishabh may not be perfect but he is very hard working. He is improving with every match. In England and Australia, the ball rises high but in India it tends to stay low. We are working on these.”