Cricket

Asia Cup 2022: Playing Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant in T20Is right decision, says Harbhajan Singh

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh feels playing Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant in T20I cricket is the right decision. Karthik has been doing a fine job as a finisher whereas Pant hasn’t been consistently able to grab his chances in the shortest format of the game.

However, before the Asia Cup, Rishabh Pant was playing as the wicket-keeper batter of the team and Dinesh Karthik only played as a finisher. Pant was given the opportunity to bat in the middle order in the absence of players like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.

But when Kohli and Rahul made a return to the team for the Asia Cup, the team management had to make a hard choice between Karthik and Pant.

As Karthik was in prolific form with the bat, he was given an edge in the big contest against Pakistan. The right-hander had scored 330 runs for RCB in IPL 2022 and had continued his good show in the rest of the Indian matches. Karthik has scored 193 runs in 16 matches in 2022 at a fine strike rate.

On the other hand, Rishabh Pant has done an amazing job in the Test format but he hasn’t been consistent enough in the limited-overs format.

“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 told AajTak from Dubai.

“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,” he added.

It is expected that India will continue to back Dinesh Karthik in the rest of the matches in Asia Cup while Rishabh Pant will take the backup role.

India won their opening match of the tournament against Pakistan by five wickets and they will look to continue the good form against Hong Kong on Wednesday.

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

“Never expected a very easy run” – Gautam Gambhir reflects on his tenure as coach after IND vs NZ 2024 Test series defeat

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that he never expected a very easy run… Read More

October 31, 2024

Probably has a lot to do with playing on flat wickets in T20 – Gautam Gambhir on decline of good defensive technique in Test cricket

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir feels T20 cricket has led to the downfall of a… Read More

October 31, 2024

India needs Mumbai Test win before Australia tour – Gautam Gambhir

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir feels the Rohit Sharma-led team desperately needs to win the… Read More

October 31, 2024

I cannot say just the batters have let us down – Gautam Gambhir feels everyone should take responsibility for series loss against New Zealand

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the batters after the team’s 2-0 series… Read More

October 31, 2024

It was insane – Bronny James after scoring his first NBA bucket

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was on cloud nine after he managed to score… Read More

October 31, 2024

I’m happy with my team’s performance: Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina after win against Hyderabad FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina was delighted with the team’s performance after… Read More

October 31, 2024