India’s campaign at the Asia Cup started on a winning note as they conquered the game against Pakistan. The game, first in the tournament for both teams, was probably the most hyped-up game. And this game turned out to be a thriller between the arch-rivals ultimately siding with the Indian team. The match, a nail-biter at that, presented conflicting aspects of the team who managed to clinch it.
However, a decision that shocked many came ahead of the match as the playing 11 were announced. The Indian combination for the first clash included Dinesh Karthik as the wicketkeeper ahead of Rishabh Pant. While Karthik’s abilities make him suitable for the game, his inclusion over Pant raised some eyebrows.
Saba Karim wants Rishabh Pant over Dinesh Karthik
Captain @ImRo45 has won the toss and we will bowl first against Pakistan.
A look at our Playing XI for the game.
Live – https://t.co/o3hJ6VNfwF #INDvPAK #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/O0HQXFQzC4
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 28, 2022
A former cricketer has now spoken up about the same. Saba Karim, former cricketer and Indian team selector questioned the decision of promoting Karthik over Pant in the Asia Cup. “I was surprised because I do stick to my earlier stand of having Pant in the side in place of Dinesh Karthik because I always felt that we need to look ahead and even now I do believe that Rishabh Pant can add far more value with due respect to Dinesh Karthik than Dinesh Karthik. But there can be possible explanations over there about which one can chat,” Karim said.
“That is the conundrum which Rishabh Pant needs to come out of. But lately one has seen those glimpses of the kind of form he’s exhibited in test matches. We saw him play a blinder of on innings in one day against England. And similarly, there have been some great performances. Maybe not on a consistent basis, but I do believe that there’s still so much for Rishabh Pant to learn in T20 cricket. He’s become a much better player now, but I think with more exposure one can see Rishabh Pant growing in confidence and adding far more value to this T20 side also.” He added in his statement elaborating why Rishabh Pant should be prioritized over Dinesh Karthik in tournaments as such.
Karim’s take on the Asia Cup team combination
Last 6 T20i:
Rishabh Pant
Runs – 142
Average – 28.4
Strike Rate – 141Dinesh Karthik
Runs – 73 Runs
Average – 18.25
Strike Rate – 125BCCI, Team Management & Captain Will Pay The Heavy Price For Playing Dinesh Karthik Ahead Of Rishabh Pant. pic.twitter.com/wTtIrzqFW5
— Duck (@DuckInCricket) August 31, 2022
Rishabh Pant has performed exceptionally well in the test and the ODI format recently. He’s registered a century in both the formats within this year itself. However, he’s struggling to perform consistently in the shortest format of the game. Dinesh Karthik, on the other hand, has proved his mettle after his redemption in the last IPL season with RCB. Karthik has been delivering commendable finishing knocks for India whenever given a chance to perform. However, Karim believes that Pantsuits the side better as far as the future of the team is concerned.
“I think at least for the Asia cup, the Indian team management seems to have decided to have Dinesh Karthik and that is why they want to utilize Ravindra Jadeja as a floater. So, we saw him going up the order at number 4 in the last outing and we may see that happen more often as the game progresses because Jadeja brings a different kind of dimension. Also, he’s become such a mature left-hand bat who can bat up the order at number 4 or number 5 and if there’s an opportunity, he can also come down the order and score quick runs. So, which means that as of now there’s no place for Rishabh Pant in the 11. But having said that I do believe that Rishabh Pant is such an X factor. He can win you games from situations where the team has got no chance whatsoever. So why would you want to keep someone like Rishabh Pant out of the 11,” Karim rounded off his statement.
