T20 World Cup 2022: [Watch] Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant hit the training ground ahead of warm-up clash against Australia
Team India wicketkeepers Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant hit the training ground ahead of their warm-up clash against Australia in Brisbane, slated to be played on Monday, October 17.
Karthik, who has emerged as India’s frontline keeper in the shortest format, was seen going through his keeping drills in the company of Pant.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) shared a video on their Instagram handle featuring the keepers where the two are seen fine-tuning their wicketkeeping skills after hitting the ground in Brisbane. ICC captioned the video as:
“The Indian wicketkeepers have hit the field 😍.”
India will face arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening game of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23. The two warm-up games against Australia (October 17) and New Zealand (October 19) will serve as ideal preparations for the showpiece event.
Dinesh Karthik will be key to India's T20 World Cup plans
India will be reliant on Dinesh Karthik's finishing skills to take them forward in the T20 World Cup. At the age of 37, Karthik has reinvented himself and has reaped rewards for his sheer hard work and dedication.
Ever since his fairytale comeback in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Karthik has gone on to become India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter ahead of a more flamboyant Pant.
Dreams do come true 💙
Captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid have backed Karthik all the way and despite not facing too many deliveries, he has made some vital contributions for India since his comeback.
In the series against South Africa, he displayed his finishing skills on a couple of occasions. After being sent up the order in the final T20I, Karthik didn’t disappoint as he blazed his way through to a quickfire 46 off 21 deliveries. He has been very safe behind the stumps and will look to make an impact in the multi-nation event.
With so many middle-order options in India’s kitty, Pant has fallen off the pecking order just a bit. However, given his exuberance and stroke-making ability, he could still add some value to this World Cup-bound squad.
India's squad for the T20 World Cup
Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Shami.
Reserves - Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, and Ravi Bishnoi.