New selection headache emerges for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid ahead of T20 World Cup after back to back losses in Asia Cup against SL and Pak
Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik are locked in a battle to seal the wicket-keeping spot in the Indian team in the ongoing Asia Cup and the upcoming T20 World Cup. For the game against Pakistan, Rohit Sharma went with the experience and finishing expertise of Karthik dropping Pant to the bench.
However, Pant was picked ahead of Dinesh Karthik for India's Super 4 match against Sri Lanka in Dubai on Tuesday
The wicketkeeper-batter who came in to bat at No.6 position in a must win match against Sri Lanka could only maanage to get 17 runs. India lost the match by six wickets.
The Pant versus DK discussion is one of the hot topics on India's journey to the World T20 whcih is scheduled to be held in Australia later this year, and it is far from a simple option between the two. While the former smashes left-handed spinners in the middle overs, Karthik is a death overs specialist responsible for scoring quick runs at the finish.
Many former cricketers have weighed in on the topic, with many favoring Rishabh Pant's extravagance over Dinesh Karthik's elegance and efficacy. Gautam Gambhir, a former India opener and teammate of Dinesh Karthik, felt that removing Pant against Pakistan was a shocking and 'near-sighted' option.
"You need a left-handed batsman in the middle order. There are a lot of right-handers in India, which is one-dimensional. And he's done really well. He may be a floater as well as someone who can open the game for you. It's a little startling, but I hope it's not long-term. I'm still going with Rishabh Pant over Dinesh Karthik. It's a huge surprise", Gambhir said during commentary.
Ricky Ponting, the coach of the Delhi Capitals and a former Australia captain, too expressed his surprise at Pant's exclusion.
READ| IND vs SL: Rishabh Pant's reaction to Hardik Pandya batting promotion in Asia Cup goes viral- WATCH
"I was genuinely startled," said Ponting, who has worked with the 25-year-old in the IPL for the last few years. "To be honest, there was some speculation about it coming into the game, again on social media channels, which way they would go because I think they needed the sixth bowling option," Ponting remarked on the 'ICC Review' show.
Former BCCI selector Saba Karim also backed Pant, saying he provided more worth to the team than Karthik. "I was startled because I do keep to my former stand of having Pant in the side," he told Sports 18.
Malolan Rangarajan, head of Royal Challengers' talent scouting, sheds some light on Karthik's evolution as a finisher.
"Karthik is a man whose performance is directly correlated to the preparation he does. His success in this IPL was due to the clear message he had gotten from the management regarding his role and the preparation he put in with his coach before IPL," Rangarajan said.
"When he came to the IPL practice sessions, he came prepared to the nth detail... he used to practise for specific yorkers, wide yorkers, back of length balls, having fielders up on offside... his preparation was based on match simulation. Seldom do you associate DK with feel-good practice, especially DK 2.0. I have played with DK for 10-12 years. He is a coach killer, as they say, practises a lot."
While the experts have heavily favored Pant, Dinesh Karthik has the backing of skipper Rohit Sharma and the team management and would most likely receive more opportunities during the tournament. The BCCI will pick their T20 World Cup squad on September 15, and performances like those against South Africa and the West Indies will almost certainly see him board an aircraft to Australia.
READ| 'Hoga Hoga, tension mat lo': Rohit Sharma's epic reply on India vs Pakistan final in Asia Cup 2022
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