"Why Does Everyone Still Talk About Dinesh Karthik?- Mohammad Kaif Unhappy With Sanju Samson’s Asia Cup Snub

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif questioned the inclusion of Dinesh Karthik in the Indian Asia Cup 2022 squad and was unhappy with Sanju Samson’s exclusion from the ACC tournament which will be played in UAE from August 27 onwards.

Sanju Samson will be aiming to prove his critics wrong in the ODI series against Zimbabwe, starting Thursday in Harare. He has been named in the Men in Blue squad for the three ODIs which will be played from August 18-22 in Harare and is one of the two keepers in the squad with Ishan Kishan being the other one.

Samson was in very good form for India, scoring his maiden T20I fifty against Ireland and then performing admirably against West Indies as well. Hence when he was snubbed from the Asia Cup 2022 squad, many questioned the selectors’ decision.

Mohammad Kaif, while talking to Hindustan Times, questioned why India needed so many wicketkeepers and why people keep talking about Dinesh Karthik, and if he will even find a spot in the Indian XI in the Asia Cup.

“How many wicketkeepers can we even take? We have Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik. This is the problem for the selectors. You talk about Virat Kohli, KL Rahul or Rohit Sharma. Suryakumar Yadav is set at no. 4 with Pant at no. 5, Pandya at no. 6, and then there is Dinesh Karthik also. Will he get a chance? We don’t know that yet. There is stiff competition in the Indian team right now”, he said.

“Why does everyone still talk about Dinesh Karthik? He bats lower down the order and has also finished many matches. He was there till the last over, he was there to play the winning hit in the last over. This stays in the head and everyone wants a match-winner, someone who can win you a game. Samson has performed well recently against the West Indies and he will get his chance. These days, whenever a squad is made, his name is usually there. It’s good that he is there. The competition is a lot so it is not an easy job for the selectors,” Kaif added.

Would Tell Sanju Samson To Keep Performing When He Gets Chances: Mohammad Kaif

Samson scored 77 for India against Ireland, while adding a record 176 runs with Deepak Hooda. He then had scores of 12, 54, 6*, 30* and 15 against West Indies in the limited overs series, where he also kept wickets.

Speaking about the same to Hindustan Times, Mohammad Kaif said: “I would tell Sanju Samson to perform good when given the chance. He did good in the West Indies, where he played match-winning knocks. If you play match-winning knocks, then you make your name.”

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