India's decision to select Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as the two wicketkeepers ahead of KL Rahul was based on their ability to bat in the middle order.
The chairman of selectors Agarkar said:
"KL is a terrific player, we all know that. The thing is we were looking at guys batting in the middle order, and at the moment KL is batting at the top."
When it was pointed out that Samson is batting at number three for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, Agarkar said that he feels Sanju has the ability to come down the order if need be, Rishabh has been batting at five-six. Those two were better at that point. Guys who spend a bit more time in the later part of the innings in the World Cup, that was the thinking.
After suffering a serious car accident in December 2022, Pant made a successful comeback in the 2024 IPL. He scored 398 runs in his first 11 innings for Delhi Capitals at a strike rate of 158.56 and proved that his wicket-keeping skills were back to their best. Samson has scored 385 runs in nine innings for the Royals at a strike rate of 161.08.