Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni among 4 Indians in Dinesh Karthik's five-a-side all-time T20 team
Former Team India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik was given the arduous task of picking a five-player all-time T20I side. Unsurprisingly, the list was dominated by several prominent Indian names, including Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.
On the latest episode of Hey CB with DK, Karthik was given five players per skillset - batter, all-rounder, wicket-keeper, spinner, and pacer and asked to choose one from each.
The batters list included Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, David Warner, Chris Gayle, and Aiden Markram and Karthik went for his former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Kohli.
Coming to wicket-keepers, Karthik had to choose between MS Dhoni, Kumar Sangakkara, Brendon McCullum, Heinrich Klaasen, and Phil Salt. He went with Dhoni, pointing to his captaincy as a key reason behind the selection.
As for all-rounders, he went with Rashid Khan in a set that included Kieron Pollard, Ravindra Jadeja, Glenn Maxwell, and Ben Stokes as the other contenders.
Karthik's admittedly toughest choice came in the fast bowlers set, with the options being Jasprit Bumrah, Jofra Archer, Dale Steyn, Lasith Malinga, and Trent Boult. However, after praising each one for their unique skill sets, he went with Bumrah for the ability to bowl effectively at every stage of an inning.
Finally, he chose a fourth Indian player, Yuzvendra Chahal, in the battle of spinners that included Adil Rashid, Adam Zampa, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Akeal Hosein.
Dinesh Karthik looks past 2 Indian players for his Impact Sub
Dinesh Karthik also had to pick one from a final category in line with the latest IPL rule - Impact Sub.
His options were Rohit Sharma, AB de Villiers, Mohammed Shami, Travis Head and Sunil Narine. Karthik went past the two Indian stars and picked Sunil Narine, stating that an all-rounder would be ideal as an Impact Sub.
Karthik played with Narine for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL from 2018 to 2021.
Dinesh Karthik's five-a-side all-time T20 team
Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Sub: Sunil Narine