Rishabh Pant is the preferred wicket-keeper for Team India across all formats. Considering the form he has been in, Pant is a must-have in the XI. However, the discussion is now on as to who would be his reserve for the upcoming tournaments, especially the 2022 T20 World Cup. In this article, we take a look at the player picked by Ravi Shastri to be India’s reserve wicket-keeper for the T20 WC.
Ravi Shastri picks India’s reserve wicket-keeper for the T20 WC
Ishan Kishan is one name that has taken the reserve wicket-keeper slot in recent tournaments for India. However, the southpaw has been in mediocre form in the ongoing IPL. In 8 games, he has only scored 199 runs at a poor average of 28.43. On the other hand, Dinesh Karthik has suddenly entered the talk with his show in IPL 2022. The veteran has been in terrific form, scoring over 200 runs in eight games at a strike rate of 200. He has scored runs in a difficult position and mostly while batting in the lower middle-order.
Former India Head Coach Ravi Shastri reckoned DK will be a better pick for the T20 WC. While speaking on ESPN Cricinfo, Shastri opined, “I will go with the current form and the conditions where we will be playing. The kind of shots that can be played, experience coming into play, and fitness of the player. He (Karthik) is as fit as anyone around!”
A selection headache for the management
The management will be in a tough spot while selecting the squad. They have backed Ishan Kishan and it might dent the confidence of the player if they drop him now. Sanju Samson is also in good touch and he is also in the picture. It is certainly not possible to ignore DK, who is in extraordinary form.
At the same time, Team India anyways has KL Rahul, who can slot in as the reserve wicket-keeper. Hence, it is going to be a selection dilemma for the management ahead of the T20 World Cup.
