Ravi Shastri on Saturday (4th June) talked about how Team India can play and accommodate both Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant in the playing XI for T20 World Cup 2022. He also said that the upcoming T20I series against South Africa is an opportunity for the former to seal his place in the team.
Karthik last played for India in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 but has made yet another comeback to the Indian team for South Africa T20Is, thanks to his terrific outings as a finisher for RCB in IPL 2022.
Karthik scored 330 runs in 16 matches at an incredible strike rate of 183.33 in IPL 15. Not only this, but he also won games for the side too with his brutal hitting at the death.
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Ravi Shastri feels that the upcoming T20I series against South Africa is an opportunity for Karthik to cement his place in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2022.
"This is his opportunity. If and when he gets an opportunity in these games, he has to do it with India colors on. We know he has got the experience, so this becomes extremely vital," Ravi Shastri said.
With Karthik, Rishabh Pant, and Ishan Kishan also on the side for the upcoming series against South Africa, it would be tough for management to pick the playing XI and it remains to be seen how that accumulate them.
However, Shastri feels that teams need to play both Pant and Karthik to make them understand their role in the T20 World Cup.
He remarked that instead of a top-order-batting wicketkeeper, like Pant, India needs a MS Dhoni-style gloveman who can finish games - a role Karthik is suited to.
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"You have to see from the team's point of view, what are they looking for? Do they want a keeper who will bat at the top of the order or do they want a keeper who will be the finisher? I will go for the latter. You need a keeper who will do MS Dhoni's role, let's put it that way.
"There is already Rishabh Pant who can bat in the top four or five in T20 cricket but you want someone who can keep and finish a game because they aren't too many finishers now with MS (Dhoni) having quit. So I think that's where his chances are very very good," he said.
(Hindustan Times inputs)
