IND vs PAK: "I Would Rather Go For Dinesh Karthik Than Rishabh Pant In India's T20 Setup": Robin Uthappa

Indian Cricket Team at the last moment made a controversial decision. The management dropped Dinesh Karthik and in his place included Rishabh Pant for the high-octane clash of India vs Pakistan. This move surprised everyone as Karthik hardly played substantial deliveries for making an impact with the bat. Karthik would be puzzled as out of nowhere he got dropped and again he has to fight for a spot in the team.

Dinesh Karthik is known for his finishing abilities whereas Rishabh Pant is someone who can accelerate in the middle over phase. Both these players have their traits and are powerful on any given day. We should not forget that Karthik has been around the team for the last 15 years. He knows what sort of shot selection is needed at crucial junctions.

Robin Uthappa on Dinesh Karthik

Robin Uthappa was demanding the making a point on Dinesh Karthik while talking with ESPNcricinfo. “My thoughts have always been the same. I think DK should play because he is a finisher. You need him to play that role. You can have Deepak Hooda to play that No.5 role that Rishabh is playing at this point in time. Because you have to consider that Rishabh’s success in T20 cricket has come when he has batted in the top four.”

“Right now, there is no place in the top four for him. Why are we playing him just because we have to play him. Don’t we want Rishabh to thrive under the circumstances he plays in. You would want him to play in a position that is advantageous to him, not in a position that is disadvantageous to him.”

“So if he does play, he should bat in the top four. Does he fit in the top four at the moment? He doesn’t. I would rather go for Dinesh Karthik down there. Say for instance, like something that happened with Hardik Pandya in the Pakistan match happens, you still have another finisher that can take that load. Otherwise, it is too much of a load for someone like Axar Patel to take on,” Uthappa concluded.

The conundrum for Team India continues

Indian Cricket Team is maybe forgetting that a strong finish is also required. The team has got a perfect top-order with the likes of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli; but they don’t have reliable pinch hitters. Hardik Pandya needs support as he single-handedly can’t repeat the heroics again & again.

The management should either use Rishabh Pant as a floater at the top order which will mean that Suryakumar & Hardik play freely or make Dinesh Karthik a finisher. It looks unlikely that these two will play together as Hardik is not quite ready for the 5th bowler role. The duo of Rahul Dravid & Rohit Sharma need to be smart here as one more wrong decision would end their journey in the Asia Cup 2022.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant Need To Learn To Play Risk-Free Cricket From Virat Kohli – Gautam Gambhir