Manjrekar prefers Saha over Pant for wicket keeping in Tests

While Pant was given the role of wicketkeeping, Saha was seen fielding. However, that may not indicate what it would be in the Test series.

Hyderabad: The ongoing three-day pink ball game between India and Australia A ahead of the first Test, scheduled to begin on December 17, saw India’s two wicketkeepers Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant donning whites in different roles.

While Pant was given the role of wicketkeeping, Saha was seen fielding. However, that may not indicate what it would be in the Test series. With Pant out of form for a long time and given his poor record behind the stumps, Saha should be India’s preference in the Tests, feels former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar.

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When a Twitter user asked about his preference, Manjrekar went for Saha. The former cricketer-turned-commentator reasoned that wicketkeepers should be picked on the basis of their wicketkeeping abilities in Tests as he wrote: “In Tests always keeping skills first. Drop a Steve Smith early and he gets a 200! So Saha. Also need a better keeper against pace in Australia. Again Saha.”