Is it the end of the road for Ravichandran Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik after T20I World Cup?, Chief selector answers

The ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia, in all likelihood, will be Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin's last appearance in the format as the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee started the transition phase in the shortest version of the game keeping the 2024 edition in the West Indies and USA in mind.

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While both have been dropped for the NewZealand tour, Selection Committee chairman Chetan Sharma said it was due to workload management.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had both asked for rest and KL Rahul might have been given a break due to personal reasons. They might well play the shortest format for India, but a change in stance can't be ignored. 

But Karthik, who played 27 T20Is in 2022 till the South Africa game, has been ignored for the three games against New Zealand.

Nor does Ashwin, who on insistence of skipper Rohit Sharma was brought back into T20 scheme of things after four years. "The World Cup is going to finish in some days and so we need to decide whom to rest or not. He (Karthik) has been performing and he is available to us. But this time we just thought of trying a different set of players after the World Cup," chairman of selectors Sharma told reporters in a virtual interaction after announcing an unprecedented four squads for two separate away series.

“It’s a cycle. Both Ashwin and Karthik have been excellent for India. But we have to move on. Karthik and Ashwin are not getting any younger and we have to keep the 2024 WC in mind. There are a lot of youngsters coming up through the IPL and domestic cricket and we have to reward them as well. Ashwin will continue to play crucial role in Test. For Karthik since he plays just one format, it’s little difficult to continue with him,” a senior BCCI official was quoted saying.

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While Chetan Sharma did not want to disclose the transition plan, his statement revealed more than what was needed. He said Karthik was rested for workload management. However, Dinesh Karthik has played just 27 matches facing 198 balls. He did not mention why he would need rest.

“The World Cup is going to finish in some days and so we need to decide whom to rest or not. Karthik has been performing and he is available to us. But this time we just thought of trying a different set of players after the World Cup,” Chairman of selectors Sharma told reporters in a virtual interaction on Monday.