Dinesh Karthik keeps impressing the cricket experts with his brilliant form in the ongoing IPL 2022 with the strike rate of 200.00 which led many to believe that he will be an ideal candidate for team India as a finisher.
Dinesh Karthik has been arguably the best finisher in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. With a total of eight matches in the league so far, DK has scored 210 runs while batting at the lower order and has been the most impactful player of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
His consistent performances impress the cricket experts with the strike rate of 200.00 led many to believe that he will be an ideal candidate for team India, in the T20 World Cup that is scheduled to be held in Australia later this year, as a finisher.
However, the former Indian player Sanjay Manjrekar feels that there are a lot of questions that Karthik has to answer before such a call will be made.
“Only if he maintains his current form. I am going to be a little more pragmatic. We are just about halfway through this IPL. Let’s wait till the end of the league and see if the form is still intact. When you say we want DK in the team, you want a guy out,”
Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
“But when I’m looking at the incumbents, it’s tough to get into India’s Playing XI. Because he’s looking only at No. 5, 6, and 7 spots. He’s not someone who can bat up the order… that’s not being considered I think. He will have to displace Rishabh Pant. We will have to start looking at Hardik Pandya vs Dinesh Karthik. It’s not going to be easy,”
he added.
But the former Indian coach Ravi Shastri said that Karthik should be given a chance in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup.
“Well, the way he is playing, he has an absolute chance. Why not? He is in form, with the amount of cricket that is being played these days, you never know when there could be an injury to anyone. The way he is playing now, India needs a finisher and he could make it to the side. Of course, Rishabh Pant would be your first wicketkeeper but, on the tour, you may need three. With COVID, you might need three keeps. He definitely has a big chance, he is banging on that door, he is just waiting to kick it open,”
Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo’s ‘Run-Order’.