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Mohammad Rizwan (Source: Twitter))
Former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta has expressed his admiration for Pakistan star Mohammad Rizwan, praising his skills behind and in front of the stumps. Dasgupta rated the 31-year-old as one of the top three best wicket-keepers in the world at present.
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Rizwan has been a vital cog in Pakistan's all three formats and is currently their first-choice wicketkeeper in limited-overs cricket. He was Pakistan's top scorer in the 2023 ODI World Cup, scoring 395 runs in nine matches at an average of 65.83, including a century and a fifty.
Dasgupta put the Peshawar-born cricketer in an elite list alongside South Africa's Quinton de Kock and India's KL Rahul. The former wicketkeeper batter, who represented India in 8 Tests and 5 ODIs, was impressed by Pakistan's decision to play Rizwan at number four. He feels the right-hander excels in the middle order and his recent stats prove that to be true.
"The decision to play Rizwan at number four is a good one. Eleven to forty overs are crucial in one-day cricket. Playing out the middle overs makes a difference in teams and Rizwan performs well in the middle order. There is no flaw in Rizwan; he is the best wicket-keeper," Dasgupta told Geo Super.
"In my opinion, Rizwan is one of the top three wicket-keepers in the world. Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, and Rizwan are the top wicket-keepers," he added.
Rizwan's next assignment is against Australia
The Pakistan cricket team landed in Australia a few days ago for a three-match Test series starting on December 14. Rizwan had lost his place in the playing XI to Sarfaraz Ahmed in their previous Test series. However, he is expected to be the primary choice behind the stumps this time around.
Pakistan vs Australia Test series: Schedule
1st Test: From Thursday, December 14 at the Perth Stadium at 7:50 am IST
2nd Test: From Tuesday, December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground at 5:00 am IST
3rd Test: From January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground at 5:00 am IST
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi