‘Now is the time India needs him’ – Kapil Dev suggests Indian team to include Rishabh Pant in place of Dinesh Karthik
Team India is on a roll in the 20-20 World Cup with their back-to-back victories against Pakistan and Netherlands. The team management decided to go with Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant in the first two games which left several fans disappointed. But ahead of the fixture against South Africa in Perth on Sunday, former India captain Kapil Dev believes that Pant needs to be included in the team given Karthik’s questionable wicket-keeping.
Dinesh Karthik has made a remarkable comeback into the Indian team following his successful run in the Indian T20 League this year. The wicketkeeper also played some memorable knocks in the lead-up to the World Cup to make a strong case for his selection in the team. However, Karthik succumbed to the rising pressure in the Pakistan game and made a couple of errors while keeping against the Netherlands.
The former Indian captain wants Karthik to be replaced by Pant, also pointing out how India can benefit from having a left-hander in the middle order.
“I want to say that since we have Rishabh Pant, now is the time India need him. It felt as if Dinesh Karthik would get the job done, but factoring in the wicketkeeping as well, I feel that if India have that left-hander option in the team, this team would look complete,” Kapil said on ABP News.
Kapil Dev backs KL Rahul amid his poor run in the tournament
Another player who has been having a tough time in the middle of the tournament so far is KL Rahul. Fans are demanding Pant to replace Rahul in the eleven given the opening batter’s two low scores against Pakistan and Netherlands. But the legendary allrounder has backed the Indian opener, suggesting him to take his time in the Powerplay and then attack in the second half of the innings.
“He is a very neat cricketer. If you look at his batting, he doesn’t appear to be struggling. He gets out and has, in fact, played on twice or thrice. I want him to score runs because it is really important for him to score. Some players are told not to play fast. He can take time initially because he can easily accelerate as and when needed. I want him to play patiently, play the first 8-10 overs, and then when he gets an idea what total is best on the pitch, then go for it,” mentioned Kapil.
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