Former Indian stumper Deep Dasgupta has vouched for Wriddhiman Saha in place of Rishabh Pant in the upcoming 3-match Test series against South Africa. Praising his superior wicket-keeping skills, Dasgupta termed Saha as the best wicketkeeper in the world and wishes to see him behind the wickets on Indian tracks.

“Post his recovery from injury, Wriddhi has delivered and done whatever one has asked of him. There is no shadow of doubt that he is the best wicket-keeper in the world at present. The only question was whether Wriddhi was a good enough batsman, especially when the team is looking to play five bowlers,” Dasgupta was quoted as saying in The Telegraph.

Dasgupta also asserted that Pant remains the better batter and the management should keep this fact in mind before locking the final XI. However, if they want to go purely with wicketkeeping skills, Saha should be the front runner.

“Yes, one may ask if Wriddhi is a better batsman than Rishabh… Well, maybe not. Then the question arises that in this format, do you prefer a better keeper or a better batsman? But going by what I saw of Rishabh in the West Indies as far as his keeping is concerned and what’s expected at home in the coming Tests, I would go with Wriddhi,” he added.

Pant began his international promisingly but gradually found himself under immense pressure following his poor run in the recent games. The selectors considered him the prima-facie across formats but his temperament and shot selection drew massive flacks form the fans.

India take on South Africa in a 3-match Test series, the first of which will be played in Visakhapatnam on October 2.