Given that the squad already has a stable top-order, Cheteshwar Pujara believes that it is “difficult” to have both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik in the starting XI for the Asia Cup T20 tournament.
Given that India’s top-order has been solidified, India’s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara believes that it is “difficult” for the team to field a playing XI that includes both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik in the Asia Cup T20 competition. K.L. Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav make up the top order. According to Pujara, Suryakumar Yadav is one of India’s best Twenty20 batsmen at the moment. They are then followed by players such as Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, which leaves room for only one player to choose between Pant and Karthik.
“The fact that both Pant and Karthik are performing so exceptionally well in the Twenty20 format presents a significant challenge to the management of the squad. The decision that needs to be made is whether you want someone to bat at position 5, or if you want a finisher who can bat at positions 6 or 7 “On ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Timeout, Pujara made the following statement.
“Therefore, if you are looking for someone to fill the spot at number five, I would recommend Rishabh Pant. But if you want a batting line-up that includes a very excellent finisher who is likely to play 10 or 20 balls and give you 40 or 50 runs, I believe that DK (Karthik) is the better option for you to go with.
” The experienced batter continued by saying, “Personally, I think, knowing the team management (and) knowing how things work around the team, I would imagine they might go with Pant since he is a left-hander and provides the squad a bit of balance with left-right combo.” Against Sunday, India will open their campaign in the Asia Cup by taking on Pakistan. India is eager to avenge the 10-wicket loss that they suffered at the hands of their archrivals during the ICC T20 World Cup that was held at the same location a year ago.
Given his outstanding performance in Twenty20 cricket over the past few years, Pujara believes that Suryakumar should not be dropped from the XI to make room for either Pant or Karthik because he deserves to be there and should not be dropped to accommodate both of them.
“Because Surya is one of our best Twenty20 players, I would absolutely like him to be a part of our team because he can… He is someone who has been tremendously helpful to the Mumbai Indians in their efforts. He has always performed incredibly well whenever I’ve seen him at position No. 4, in my experience.
“Therefore, I don’t think the management of the squad will decide to bench him. If Rishabh and Karthik are both need to play, then I believe you will need to bench one of the batters in the top order, which is obviously not an option. Therefore, I do not believe that both of them will be selected for the playing XI, “said Pujara.
In the case that Karthik is unable to participate, all-rounder Hardik has the potential to perform the job of finisher, according to Pujara.
“Hardik is someone who can strike from the very first ball, and his strike rate is above 150, so I think he would be a better choice for that role (the finisher’s role). Because Rishabh requires a little bit more time, I do not believe he is able to do the task.
“And if Rishabh does come in to bat, it should be somewhere between 10 and 12 overs by the time he does so… Moreover, he is capable of scoring a fifty or perhaps a few runs above that if the innings lasts for eight or ten overs “said Pujara.
