Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh backed Team India’s decision to play Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant in their opening match of the Asia Cup 2022 against Pakistan.
Indian team kick-started their campaign in the Asia Cup with a 5-wicket win over Pakistan in Dubai. It was a top-notch performance as they held their nerves better in the crucial stages and bagged a win in the high-pressure game.
Ahead of the game, Indian management surprised many when skipper Rohit Sharma announced at the time of the toss that Pant failed to make the cut into the XI as they gave a nod ahead to Karthik.
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This decision had mixed reactions but mostly it was applauded by many as they feel that Karthik has been exceptional with the bat in the past few months and the team should maximise his form.
Speaking to AajTak, Harbhajan Singh said that although Pant has done well in the Test and ODIs, Karthik is better than him in the shortest format and it was the right decision to play him ahead of the southpaw.
"Rishabh Pant, no doubt, has done very well even in Test cricket and one-dayers. He has been very good. But in this shortest format, he has not been an accomplished player. However, if you look at Dinesh Karthik, his graph is only going upward.
“He has performed well. This is the right decision. In this format, in this form, there is no use keeping him on the bench. It's time for Dinesh Karthik to play, he should play," Harbhajan Singh said.
Harbhajan said that Pant is a future superstar but admitted to the fact that the need of the hour is in accepting that Karthik is in the form of his life and India should make the most of it.
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"Rishabh Pant is young, he still has plenty of time left. However, Dinesh Karthik has only 1-2 years left and he should make the most of it, the team should also use Karthik's form and make the most of it.
“He can win a lot of matches, batting down the order. With Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik batting down the order, I think it's going to be difficult for most opposition bowlers," he said.
Karthik has been staggering since the IPL 2022. He has made every opportunity count and has delivered for his team almost every time he came to bat. On the other hand, Pant has been failing to convert his starts in T20Is and it seems he hasn’t quite found his mojo in the shortest format of the game.
Karthik getting a nod ahead of Pant could well be a hint for the fans who India will opt for as the first-choice wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup 2022.
(Aaj Tak inputs)
