Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara shared his opinion on upcoming India vs Pakistan match in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 and also shared his preferred playing XI for the Men in Blue for the match which will be played on Aug 28, 2022, in Dubai.
Cheteshwar Pujara touched upon the subject of including either Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant in the XI and said that it is impossible to play both the keeper-batters in the same XI.
The top order comprises KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav, who Pujara describes as one of India's top T20 batters currently. They are followed by the likes of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, leaving space for only one player among Pant and Karthik.
"It's a big headache for the team management as both (Pant and Karthik) are doing really well in T20 format. The call is whether you want someone to bat at No.5 or you want a finisher who can bat at No. 6 or 7," Pujara said on ESPNCricinfo T20 Time out.
Asia Cup 2022: WATCH- Rohit Sharma opens up about possibility of India and Pakistan bilateral series
"So, I would say, if you want someone at No. 5, Rishabh Pant is a better choice. But if you want to a have a batting line-up with a very good finisher who is likely to play 10 or 20 balls and give you 40-50 runs, I think DK (Karthik) is the better option,” he added.
The veteran batter added, "Personally, I think, knowing the team management (and) knowing how things work around the team, I would think they might go with Pant because he is a left-hander and gives the team a bit of balance with left-right combination."
Pujara further said that the Indian team should not drop Suryakumar Yadav in order to accommodate both Pant and Karthik.
"Surya is one of our top T20 players, so I would definitely want him in the side because he can… he is someone who has done really well for Mumbai Indians (in IPL). Whenever I've seen him at No. 4, he has done exceptionally well. So, I don't think the team management will leave him out. If Rishabh and Karthik both have to play then I think you have to drop one of the top-order (batters), which is impossible. So, I don't think both can make the playing XI," said Pujara.
Asia Cup 2022: Hardik Pandya should be able to manage Shadab Khan- Sanjay Manjrekar
In the event Karthik is not playing, Pujara said all-rounder Hardik has the ability to play the role of finisher.
"I would prefer Hardik for that (finisher's) role because he is someone who can strike from ball one and his strike rate is above 150. I don't think Rishabh can do that job because he needs a little more time. And if he (Rishabh) comes in to bat, it should be somewhere around 10 or 12 overs… and if he gets 8-10 overs, he can score a 50 or a bit more than that," added Pujara.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s India XI for the Pakistan tie:
Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
(PTI inputs)
