Team India finished the group stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 with 8 points in 5 games after registering a convincing victory over Zimbabwe by 71 runs on Sunday (November 06).
However, the decision to pick Rishabh Pant ahead of Dinesh Karthik on Sunday came as a surprise to many.
There were several concerns regarding the choice to incorporate the youngster so late in the competition. Former India opener Virender Sehwag voiced displeasure with the team's management, arguing that if they had taken a chance on Karthik, they ought to have played him in every match.
"Rohit Sharma said we wanted to give him (Pant) one game because we have already qualified for the semis. We don't need a finisher since we are batting first. You need a finisher when you are chasing. I was saying that India should've made Zimbabwe bat first. Rishabh Pant has played cricket in such conditions, both in red-ball and white ball. As Ashish Nehra rightly pointed out that if he had scored a big knock, will India go form him or a finisher (Karthik)," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
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Karthik shouldn't be benched before the semi-final, the former cricketer stated, especially if the team decides to play him in the semi-final against England.
"If you have gambled on Dinesh Karthik for the T20 World Cup, then you've got to play him until the end of the tournament. Benching Dinesh Karthik won't be good for his confidence. He needs some confidence as he hasn't scored runs so far," he added.
Pant’s stay in the middle in Sunday’s match lasted only 5 deliveries which saw him score 3 runs. Karthik who was the team’s designated finisher in the previous games, failed to impress in the showpiece event so far, having scored 14 runs in 3 innings.
Meanwhile, several other former cricketers including Ravi Shatri and Ian Chappell have backed the swashbuckling southpaw to be picked in the starting XI.
It will be interesting to see whether the decision to pick Pant ahead of the veteran wicketkeeper-batter was a one-match thing or whether the 25-year-old will play on Thursday (November 10) in the semi-final clash against England at the Adelaide Oval.
(CRICBUZZ INPUTS)
