'If Pant doesn't perform, look at alternatives. Rohit's biggest challange…': Ex-India selector ahead of Bangladesh ODIs

Pressure has been building around Rishabh Pant after his dismal performances in India's white-ball tour of New Zealand.

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's place in the Indian white-ball setup has come under scrutiny once again due to his dismal showing in India's tour of New Zealand. Pant scored 10 and 15 runs in the three-match ODI series before he which he had failed to make a mark in the T20I series as well.

There have been calls for the management to consider the likes of Sanju Samson as India's white-ball wicketkeeper-batter going into the 2023 World Cup. However, former India selector Saba Karim has said that Pant deserves to get a look in during India's upcoming tour of Bangladesh. India will play three ODIs and two Tests during the tour starting on December 4.

“I’ll go ahead with Rishabh Pant. I want to see how he performs in three matches in Bangladesh. Decide his batting position and play him at No. 5. If he doesn’t perform, look at some alternatives. It could be Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson," said Karim on India News.

Karim also said that captain Rohit Sharma himself will have to improve his batting form and that would automatically help him in his captaincy. "The biggest challenge for Rohit Sharma will be his batting. Your captaincy will automatically improve if you continue to perform. It’s important to score runs," he said.

The first two ODIs will be played on December 4 and 7 in Mirpur after which the tour moves to Chattogram for the third ODI on December 10. This will be followed by the first Test in Chattogram which will start on December 14. The tour will then end with the second Test which will be played in Mirpur from December 22. This is the first time since 2015 that India will be playing a Test match Bangladesh and the first time. It is also the first time since 2010 that they will be playing a Test series involving more than one match in the country.