“Rishabh Pant factor would have been crucial if he was playing.”- Kris Srikkanth
India’s former opener and 1983 World Cup winning squad player Kris Srikkanth recently claimed that if Rishabh Pant was able to play in the ICC World Cup 2023, then India are going to be the favorites to win the tournament as the 25-year-old wicketkeeper batsman can fill the void of both a batter and an efficient wicketkeeper team. India is desperately looking for an efficient backup since last year when Rishabh Pant met with a tragic accident, and so far he is recovering from the injuries he sustained in the accident. India has tried players like Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and K. S. Bharat in different formats.
According to Kris Srikkanth, Rishabh Pant’s involvement can positively impact the performance of the team, but as of now, the chances of him playing in the ICC World Cup 2023 are weak. Even though the batter is not officially out of the team, he would miss the World Cup largely due to his recovery. KL Rahul, due to his hamstring injury, would likely miss the World Cup in 2023 as well.
We don’t know the real truth about Rishabh Pant. If he was playing, I would straightaway say India are the real favourites. But Pant’s fitness is obviously questionable. Nobody knows how fit will he be before the World Cup. I doubt it, and a lot of people doubt, if he is going to play the 2023 World Cup. Otherwise, Rishabh Pant factor would have been very crucial,”
Kris Srikkanth said on India Today
Kri Srikkanth truly believes that Ishan Kishan could be a replacement for Rishabh Pant and said
“Even Ishan Kishan, if he makes it to the team, he could be a dangerous cricketer. I believe Ishan Kishan is going to be a good player. I believe that guys like KL Rahul should be back in the middle order. He will be fantastic. You have Rohit Sharma opening, Shubman Gill and King Kohli, who is fantastic in this format and has been doing well. He’s been in form, so I believe India has got the capabilities of winning the World Cup,”
Former opener added