With Virat Kohli regaining top form and Suryakumar Yadav batting like a dream, Rohit Sharma-led Team India arrived in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup as one of the top contenders to lift the trophy. After battling past arch-rivals Pakistan in its tournament opener, India outclassed the likes of Netherlands, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to top Group 2 at the T20 World Cup.
Eager to end their ICC trophy drought, Rohit-led Team India failed to live up to expectations in the knockout phase of the T20 World Cup. The Kohli-starrer Team India crashed out of the ICC World T20 after suffering an embarrassing defeat to eventual champions England in the second semi-final. After putting a below-par 168 on the board, India were not able to take even a single England wicket as Jos Buttler and Alex Hales toyed with their bowling.
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Reflecting on India's performance in the ICC event, former Indian cricketer Reetinder Sodhi singled out Rishabh Pant's mediocre run in the shortest format of the game. Pant had a forgettable campaign in Australia as the wicketkeeper-batter struggled to record regular appearances for the Men In Blue. Pant scored 6 off 4 balls in the second semi-final between India and England at the Adelaide Oval.
Speaking to India News ahead of India's One Day International (ODI) series opener against New Zealand, Sodhi backed Sanju Samson to replace Pant in the Indian white-ball lineup. “He is becoming a liability for Team India. If it’s like this, then bring in Sanju Samson. End of the day, you got to take that chance because you cannot afford to lose and exit in World Cup or ICC tournaments. When you give too many chances, problems arise. The time has come to provide opportunities to new guys," Sodhi said.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking to India News ahead of India's One Day International (ODI) series opener against New Zealand, Sodhi backed Sanju Samson to replace Pant in the Indian white-ball lineup. “He is becoming a liability for Team India. If it’s like this, then bring in Sanju Samson. End of the day, you got to take that chance because you cannot afford to lose and exit in World Cup or ICC tournaments. When you give too many chances, problems arise. The time has come to provide opportunities to new guys," Sodhi said.
{{/usCountry}}“Only time will tell how many opportunities and how long he gets. Time is passing and he really has to tighten his shoes. Everything has a limit. You cannot depend on one player for so long. If he is not performing, you got to show him the exit door,” he added. Pant has played 27 ODIs and 66 T20Is for India while power-hitter Samson has featured in only 26 international white-ball matches for the former world champions.