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What is the reality behind Rishabh Pant and Saha's conflict? There was a time when the Indian team struggled to find a good keeper after Syed Kirmani. Many wicket keepers entered the arena and quit after a while. Kiran More and Chandrakant Pandit served their roles and marked their presence well. However, there was a shortage of good wicket keeper-batsmen for a long time.
The arrival of MS Dhoni proved to be a boon to the Indian team. Dhoni was a good wicketkeeper, a fantastic batsman, and a cool captain. When Dhoni retired, the cricket world got worried about his replacement. Fortunately, Rishabh Pant made his appearance with a bang. While other players such as Dinesh Karthik and Vriddhiman Saha also play well, Pant enjoys an edge over others. Subsequently, many stories regarding the conflict between current wicket keepers have popped up.
Saha is a senior player compared to Rishabh Pant. Although Saha is also a good keeper, he isn't as quick and aggressive as Pant. That’s the reason why we see Pant keeping wickets in almost all three formats of the game. Saha is a cool player and has proven his worth in test matches. However, Pant plays aggressively and has snatched some games with quick knocks and better wicket-keeping. There have been stories of conflicts between Saha and Pant as a result.
The differences between two batsmen or wicketkeepers aren't uncommon in cricket. However, news of rifts between two players on the same team is rare. Some news outlets have triggered controversy by stating that not all is well between Rishabh Pant and Saha. As a result, the cricket world is eager to know the truth. They wish to find out whether the stories are real or fabricated. Both players say that there isn’t any conflict between them. On the contrary, they state that their relationship is extremely strong.
The Indian team demonstrated exceptional exhibitions in the recently concluded Gavaskar-Border trophy despite the odds tagged against them throughout the series. India won the test series 2-1 under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane. This was the team’s second consecutive test series victory against the Aussies in Australia. This overseas series win wasn't a piece of cake. The team had to toil hard to demonstrate extraordinary play to outsmart the Australian team.
Also, battling injuries and the weather was a task for all players. Saha was injured slightly during the first test. Plus, he didn’t do well with his bat. So, the team management replaced Saha with Rishabh Pant after the first test match. Clearing the air on the issue concerning a rift with Pant, Saha stated that there’s a friendly relationship between them. Whoever performs better makes his way into the playing eleven. According to Saha, he wasn't able to score any runs. Also, he had some fitness issues and failed to match Rishabh Pant's Stats. So he didn’t get the chance.
He further stated that you can verify our relationship with Pant. The 36-year-old cricketer added that performance plays a key role in the final selection. The one who plays well gets a chance. So, the question of any rift between two wicket keepers is just a cooked-up story and nothing else.
The stories of rifts between Rishabh Pant and Saha are fabricated. The two players share a friendly relationship and respect each other no matter their selection in the final playing eleven. It would be interesting to see the two players contesting for the slot, as we get to see some exceptional exhibitions behind the wickets and with bats.
FAQs
Is there a conflict between Pant and Saha?
No, this is only a fabricated story that we get to see on the news. In reality, the two players share a friendly relationship and help each other.
Why is Pant mostly preferred over Saha?
It’s a matter of performance, nothing else. While Saha enjoys an edge in test cricket, Pant makes an obvious choice in all three cricket formats, especially T20s and ODIs.
Is Rishabh Pant an aggressive player?
Yes! He plays fast and makes huge knocks in a short time. Additionally, he picks catches and performs well behind the wickets.
