Former Australian wicket-keeper batter Adam Gilchrist feels Rishabh Pant is a must in the Indian line-up. India is currently in a dilemma of playing either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik in their playing XI however Gilchrist believes both of these players can play in the same team.
Pant has the skills to turn the match on its head with his blistering battin but he hasn’t been able to grab his chances in the shortest format of the game. On the other hand, Dinesh Karthik has been in decent form in the recent past but he was dismissed after scoring only six runs in the first T20I against Australia at Mohali.
Meanwhile, Pant has a fantastic record in the Australian conditions and he has been backed in the T20 World Cup squad. As India might also need a left-hander in the middle order after Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out with a knee injury, Pant can play that role for the team.
“The dare of Rishabh Pant and the courage for him, the way in which he takes on bowling attacks. I think he’s got to be a must in that Indian line-up. They can play together, but I think Rishabh Pant has definitely got to be in there,” Gilchrist said told ICC.
On the other hand, it looks difficult that both Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant wlll be able to play in the final XI. If both of them are included in the playing XI, it will mean that India will play with only five bowlers, including Hardik Pandya.
“It will be interesting to see if they can both play in the same team. I think they can. What they bring to a team…the versatility of Dinesh Karthik, he can play at the top of the order, he can, as he has done more so later in his career, be in the middle and late overs to finish. He has a really nice touch game,” added Gilchrist.
India lost the first T20I against Australia by four wickets and they will look to bounce back stronger. The second T20I will take place at Nagpur on Friday.
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