New Delhi: Rishabh Pant got the nod over Sanju Samson as chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma announced India’s 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy 2025 on Saturday, January 18. Samson has been in terrific form for India in white-ball cricket of late but failed to make the cut after missing the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Kerala.
Both Samson and Pant are match-winners on their day and have the ‘X-factor’ in them when it comes to their batting. Both can play at a similar tempo and can take down a bowling attack single-handedly on their day. The duo continue to get pitted against each other when it comes to selection in the Indian team in white-ball cricket.
However, Pant has held an edge over Samson recently considering he is a left-hander and is deemed an al-format star. Samson’s inability to break into the Test team and his inconsistent performances in the past seemed to have pushed him down in the pecking order. However, stats paint a contrasting picture as Samson has been a better performer than Samson in ODIs.
Sanju Samson vs Rishabh Pant in ODIs
Rishabh Pant: Pant made his ODI debut for India in 2018 and has since played only 31 matches in the fifty-over format. Pant was also part of India’s 2019 ODI World Cup squad and was deemed a long-term replacement for the legendary MS Dhoni. However, he hasn’t quite managed to live up to the expectations with average returns in ODIs.
Pant has managed to notch up only 871 runs in 31 ODIs at an average of 33.50 and a strike rate of just over 106, including 5 fifties and a solitary hundred. The swashbuckling left-hander was sidelined from all forms of cricket for over a year after suffering a dangerous car accident in December 2022 but has since made a strong comeback and will be looking to continue his fine form in the Champions Trophy.
Sanju Samson: Samson has been around for a long time now but managed to make his ODI debut only in July 2021. The wicket-keeper batter has since played 16 ODIs for the country and has produced some impressive knocks and cameos to win matches for India. In limited opportunities, Samson has shown that he deserves long rope in the fifty-over format.
Samson has scored 510 runs in 16 ODIs at a brilliant average of 56.66 and a strike rate of 99.60. Samson has smashed 3 fifties and a single century in his ODI career so far. The Kerala wicket-keeper batter clearly has an edge over Pant in terms of numbers but has failed to earn the faith of the selectors and the Indian team management in ODIs.
Rishabh Pant was preffered over Sanju Samson as India announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 on Saturday. Here is a stastical comparison of Pant and Samson in ODIs. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
