Former Indian wicketkeeper lavishes praise on Rizwan

Former Indian wicketkeeper, Deep Dasgupta, has showered accolades upon Pakistan's wicketkeeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan, for his remarkable performance in the ongoing 2023 World Cup scheduled in India. 

In a recent interview, Dasgupta lauded the decision to promote Rizwan to the number four position in the batting order, emphasizing the critical role played by the middle overs in one-day cricket.

He expressed his belief that the 31-year-old's ability to anchor the innings during this crucial phase sets him apart.

"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 said.

"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.

When asked about Pakistan's tournament prospects, the 46-year-old emphasized that Pakistan's destiny depended on their performance and remained optimistic about the team's future.

"Pakistan is responsible for its own fate in this situation. Pakistan's hopes are still alive, and we'll see how they perform in their remaining matches," he said.

In a bid to lift the spirits of Pakistani cricket fans, Dasgupta also expressed his confidence in Pakistan's skipper, Babar Azam, despite his slightly subdued form in the competition.

"We are yet to see the best of Babar Azam in the tournament. He may not be in top form, but we have high hopes of big scores from him. People compare Babar to [Kane] Williamson, [Virat Kohli], and other high-scoring players. It's possible that Babar didn't find his form due to the early dismissals of openers," he concluded.

It is worth noting that Rizwan is the sixth top run-scorer in the 2023 World Cup, with 359 runs in seven matches, boasting an average of 72.80 and a strike rate of 98.89. His achievements include one fifty and one century.