Sipper Virat Kohli is facing the ire of angry and very unhappy Rishabh Pant fans thanks to his 'shocking' decision. The Indian captain on Tuesday confirmed Wriddiman Saha will keep wickets ahead of Rishabh Pant in upcoming India vs South Africa 2019 Test series opener. In the pre-match press conference, Virat Kohli brought an end to all speculation over the wicketkeeper-batsman selection and confirmed Wriddhiman Saha will make a return in Test cricket after a span of almost two years. Saha’s inclusion means Rishabh Pant will make the way out as his form is dipped in recent times. Pant was criticized one and all due to his careless shot selection and the batsman finally faced the axe. And this seems to have not gone down too well with young Delhi cricketer fans. Wriddhiman Saha to Replace Rishabh Pant in India vs South Africa 1st Test, Virat Kohli Calls Bengal Player 'Best Wicketkeeper' in World.
Previously, Head coach Ravi Shastri has also talked about “rap on the knuckles” of Pant and he should be more thoughtful about his shot selection. On the other hand, Saha played his last match against South Africa in January 2018 and sustained an injury. Pant got the opportunity to keep wickets in the longest format and he delivered by registering centuries in Australia and England. So, Virat’s decision has left awestruck many cricket fans and the social media has gone berserk. So, let’s check out how the netizens reacted to Pant’s snub. Check out the tweets.
Fans Are Quite Upset With Kohli's Decision
Rohit in tests because he had a great WC.
KL out of T20 because he had a poor test series.
Pant out of Test team because of his poor Odi form.
Kulcha out of the team because they want a couple of extra runs from no 9 and 10.
Kohli saab lost his mind after the WC.
— Elite Banker💰 (@coolhandsree) October 1, 2019
Fans not Amused!!
Looks like the team management uses an algorithm and generate random team combinations. Nothing else explains this madness of opening with Rohit and Saha over Pant.
— Elite Banker💰 (@coolhandsree) October 1, 2019
Why Would You Do Such a Thing!
Thank you captain for spoiling Pant's career.
— Akshay Sharma (@ViratsMSDBhakti) October 1, 2019
Pant Fans Are Searching For Logic
Bhai Kohli ka logic kya hai? Drop Pant at home and play him away and except him to score 100 . Kya bewda hai yaar captain.
— Rajguru (@Ram70237243) October 1, 2019
Saha Over Pant!!
Enough chances werr given to Rishabh Pant. Saha behind the stumps, it's going to be Old New. #IndVsSA
— Ananya Shekhawat (@Ananya18531677) October 1, 2019
Saha's Deserving Comeback??
Sir do you remember Saha was the first choice wk for our team before getting injured and logically Saha never got dropped from the team so Don't you think saha deserves his come back match ?, Btw Saha's home stats are very good. #FairDecision #RishabhPant #INDvSA
— Amar The Ace (@amar_tilakrana) October 1, 2019
Age Factor Not in Favour of Saha!!
His test record is brilliant.. He needed to be left out of odi’s not tests plus wridhiman saha is 34 is he really the future of indian team ??
— Hardy Singh (@_hardysingh_) October 1, 2019
Looks like Virat Kohli and Co will have to put on their best game and justify their decision of ignoring Rishabh Pant for the series opener. These mixed to negative reactions by Indian cricket fans certainly demands it. The first of the series will be played on October 2 in Vishakapatnam. Saha will certainly aim to make a comeback with a bang and seal the wicketkeeper's spot again and for the long term!
Team India Squad For Freedom Series for Gandhi-Mandela Trophy against South Africa - Virat Kohli (Capt), Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Md Shami.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 01, 2019 01:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).