Asia Cup 2022: "You need to sort it out as soon as possible" - Saba Karim on finalizing India's No. 4 batter
Saba Karim feels Team India need to get their balance right to finalize their No. 4 batter, an area that has proved to be their Achilles heel in the past.
The Men in Blue have preferred to use Rishabh Pant at the No. 4 position in the recent past to have a southpaw between the plethora of right-handers they have.
The dashing wicketkeeper-batter was also made to open in the T20I series against England. It will be interesting to see how Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid manage their middle order in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022.
During an interaction on the Sports 18 show 'Sports Over the Top', Saba Karim was asked whether the No. 4 situation could become problematic for Team India. He responded:
"Yes, you need to sort it out as soon as possible. But to fix the No. 4 position for a specific player, we need to get the balance of the side correct. When I say this, I mean they need to pick between Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant."
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Saba Karim pointed out that Suryakumar Yadav can be slotted in at No. 4, assuming it is his best number, if the team management can choose between Pant and Dinesh Karthik. The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter elaborated:
"Once you decide on either of these players, then it is easy to slot in Surya at No. 4. It's up to the team management to decide what is the ideal position for Suryakumar Yadav. If the team management feels No. 4 is the ideal position for him to come in, then the rest of the batting order follows."
The Men in Blue have backed Karthik as a finisher in recent times. However, with the return of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli to the Indian squad, the veteran wicketkeeper-batter might have to make way if both Suryakumar and Pant need to be accommodated in the XI.
"India has done well with five bowlers plus Hardik Pandya as the sixth bowling option" - Saba Karim
Saba Karim feels the Indian team's balance will be compromised if they opt to play Karthik as an additional batter. He explained:
"India has done well with five bowlers plus Hardik Pandya as the sixth bowling option. So would you like to break that kind of a combination and get in another batter in Dinesh Karthik at No. 7. That means you will go in with Hardik Pandya as the fifth bowler who is expected to bowl four overs."
Kris Srikkanth said, "Dinesh Karthik is giving final touches in the innings. A guy who can take the match from 8th or 9th over and finish it can be called a finisher. Hardik, Pant are finishers. Rohit Sharma can open and play till the 17th over is also a finisher". (On Fancode).
The former Indian selector also shared his preferred top four for Team India, saying:
"Whatever I have seen from Rohit Sharma's captaincy, I think he prefers to have five regular bowlers plus Hardik Pandya as their sixth bowling option. KL Rahul being the vice-captain, I look at him as an opener with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli at No. 3 and Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4."
Saba Karim concluded by stating that four, five and six are flexible positions. While picking Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya and Pant for these slots, he added that they can be moved around depending on the number of overs left.