Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has picked Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant in India’s playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2022. Hogg feels Karthik is definitely the man for the job for the Indian team. Karthik has been in prolific form in the recent past as he is doing a fine job as the finisher.
Rishabh Pant, on the other hand, hasn’t been able to grab his opportunities in the shortest format of the game while playing for the national team.
Dinesh Karthik had scored 330 runs in 16 matches of Tata IPL 2022 at an average of 55 and a blistering strike rate of 183.33. Thus, Karthik was able to receive a call-up into the national team for the five-match T20I series against South Africa after a long gap of three years.
Karthik scored a fine knock of 41 runs off just 19 balls in the first T20I against West Indies recently. In fact, Karthik was preferred ahead of Rishabh Pant in the high-octane clash against Pakistan in the team’s opening game of the Asia Cup, which goes to show that he is high in the pecking order. However, since Pant didn’t play, India promoted Ravindra Jadeja in the middle order as they wanted a left-hander in the middle.
Brad Hogg said on his Instagram account, “Rishabh Pant is a better player, he can use his feet and he also uses the sweep shot as well. Dinesh Karthik just goes for the sweep shot. But in those final four overs, it’s pace on the ball. Karthik has got a better range of shots where he can play both sides of the wicket, both on the back foot and front foot. But he can also ramp both sides of the wicket as well.”
“That’s very hard to control in those final overs. With that high strike rate at the back end which is required, being able to come in and hit from ball one, Karthik is definitely the man for the job.”
It is expected that both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik will be included in India’s squad for the Asia Cup but it will be interesting to note which player will get the nod in the final XI.
Rishabh Pant has shown that he can turn the match on its head with his blistering batting while Karthik has all the experience under his belt and can add the finishing touches.
India will begin their T20 World Cup against arch-rivals Pakistan on 23rd October at the iconic MCG.
