While the 2022 edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is still more than two months away, cricket fans and experts have already started picking their first-choice playing XI for different teams.
Recently, former cricketer Ajay Jadeja shared his thoughts on India’s team composition and opined that he wouldn’t have Dinesh Karthik in the squad.
Karthik has performed exceptionally well since his return to the Indian team on the back of stunning exploits in the IPL 2022. Playing as a designated finisher, the right-hander has produced a number of match-winning cameos.
“Now if you want to play the way I have heard them...aggressive then you have to pick differently. If Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma walks in, you need Dinesh Karthik at all cost. He is your insurance. But if you don't have either of them then Dinesh Karthik has no work here. But yes I would not put Karthik there, he can have a seat beside me. He is very good as a commentator. But there, in the team, I would not pick him,” Jadeja said while speaking to FanCode.
“Now the decision is whether you want to play Ravindra or Akshar. If it's Dhoni style, then add Kohli, Rohit and Karthik. But in modern-day cricket, you have to leave out Karthik. Maybe even Kohli depends on whether he is in form or not,” he explained.
In the bowling attack, Ajay Jadeja went ahead with three pacers and a spinner. Interestingly, he picked Mohammad Shami, who hasn’t played a single T20I match for India since the last World Cup and axed Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been the highest wicket-taker for India during the period.
“I have added Shami to the team. So for me, I select bowlers first. So Shami is a certainty. Bumrah, Arshdeep and Chahal. These are the four certainties. In batting, four are certainties for me - Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Deepak Hooda. For this bowling attack, you have powerplay, middle overs and death overs sorted. You can bowl them anywhere. Even for the batters, they are flexible," he stated.
(With FanCode inputs)
