T20 World Cup 2022: "You can send him anywhere" - Ravi Shastri wants Rishabh Pant to play ahead of Dinesh Karthik
Ravi Shastri wants India to play Rishabh Pant ahead of Dinesh Karthik in their T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final clash against England at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10.
The Indian team management opted to play Karthik as the wicketkeeper-batter in their first four matches at the global event. Pant was given an opportunity in the Men in Blue's final group-stage game against Zimbabwe but the youngster was dismissed cheaply.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Shastri was asked to pick between Pant and Karthik for the last-four clash against England. He chose the former, reasoning:
"I will go with Rishabh. The square boundaries in Adelaide are short. So a left-hander is necessary, you can send him anywhere, you can use him as a floater at any time. You can send him early once the spinners come to clear those square boundaries. A left-hander will be extremely advantageous there."
The former Indian head coach also highlighted Pant's excellent record against England and in Australian conditions. He observed:
"It is a big match and he is a match-winner. See his record against England. He won an ODI on his own in Manchester and his record in Australia is also unbelievable."
Rohit Sharma confirms Pant & Karthik will be in the equation for selection in Semi-final.
Pant smashed an unbeaten 125 off just 113 balls to help India register a five-wicket win in a series-deciding ODI against England in July this year. Although he has not enjoyed great success Down Under in the game's shortest format, he has played a few match-defining knocks in Test cricket.
"What is the point of changing now?" - Krishnamachari Srikkanth also wants Rishabh Pant to play ahead of Dinesh Karthik
Krishnamachari Srikkanth also cast his vote for Pant ahead of Karthik, saying:
"What is the point of changing now? Rishabh Pant played the last match, next match you cannot play Dinesh Karthik. It is not good for the team if you keep on changing."
The former Indian opener added that the southpaw should be given the freedom to express himself in the middle. He elaborated:
"So give a chance to Rishabh Pant. There are two matches, go and do your job and win us the match - they should speak to him like that. They should give him the confidence. Cricket is a game of confidence, you should ask him to play his game and that he will not be dropped. Play two straight and then go over mid-wicket."
Rohit Sharma said - "Between Rishabh Pant & Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh was the only guy who hasn't had a game. We wanted to look at options. It would have been unfair on him to play suddenly in knockout stage. Both keepers will be in equation".
Pant has aggregated 964 runs at a slightly below-par average of 23.51 in 63 T20Is. He has a similar record against England, having scored 134 runs in eight matches at an average of 22.33.