Post the inclusion of Rishabh Pant in the place of Dinesh Karthik in India’s last group match against Zimbabwe, a huge discussion pops out regarding ” Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik who will play in the T20 WC 2022 semi-final”.
Pant or Dinesh Karthik – Who Will Play in T20 WC 2022 Semi-Final
India only lost to South Africa in the league stages and topped the points table with eight points after registering four wins out of five.
Dinesh Karthik, who made a remarkable return to the Indian side at the age of 37, was entrusted with the responsibility to play the finisher’s role. However, Karthik not only failed to get the job done with the bat but the veteran cricketer also messed up a lot of chances behind the stumps, missing stumpings and catches.
Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid benched Rishabh Pant for the majority of the tournament and only gave him one match before the semis.
“Between DK and Pant, I had just during the last game as well, Pant was the only guy who did not get to play on this tour at all except the two games we played at Perth. They were unofficial practice games but since then he has not had a hit.
He was missing game-time, so we wanted to give him time and have some options as well if we want to make changes in the semi-final or final,” said Rohit during a pre-match press conference.
“It will be unfair to bring a guy out of nowhere and make him play the game, so that was the thought. But again, we have told the guys that everyone needs to be ready for whichever game they play, whether it is the semis or league games.
It was a little tactical as well considering we did not know which team we would play in semi-final before that Zimbabwe game. We wanted to make sure to give the left-hander an opportunity to counter those spinners who bowl in the middle.
But again, what is going to happen tomorrow, I cannot tell you know but both of those keepers will be in play for selection,” he added.
Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as India’s ‘MVP’ in the ongoing tournament as he has registered three half-centuries at a blistering strike-rate.
“That’s probably his (Suryakumar) nature and that’s where his fearlessness comes from. He is a sort of guy who does not carry any baggage with him. Not his suitcases, he has a lot of suitcases. He loves his shopping (laughs).
When it comes to carry that extra pressure, I do not think he has it in him and you can see it in how he plays. He has been playing like that or a year now,” said Rohit.
“You can judge the kind of character he is. I do not know if you have heard him in interviews, he likes to play in the same fashion, whether we are 10 for 2 or 100 for 2. He likes to go out and express himself.
That is probably the reason he was in the team in the last World Cup. We did not have a great World Cup, but looking at what he has done since the last World Cup, as you say, SKY is the limit for him.
He has shown great maturity, he has taken pressure off a lot of the guys and it rubs off when they bat around him. We do understand his game very well,” he added.
Further talking about Suryakumar, Rohit said: “We do understand what the bowler is trying to do when he is batting. It is a collective of everything.
He likes to play on big grounds, he once told me that he does not like to play on smaller grounds where he cannot see the gaps. He likes to see the gaps and play accordingly.”
Rohit Sharma had received a blow on his forearm on Tuesday. Talking about the same, the Indian captain said: “I was hit yesterday, but it seems to be fine now. There was a little bruising, but it is absolutely fine now.”
The unchanged combination would also mean left-arm spinner Axar Patel will be preferred to legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, the only member in the 15-member squad who has not had a chance to be part of the XI so far in the World Cup in Australia.
India will now play their ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final match against England on November 10 in Adelaide Oval, Adelaide. The first semi-final match will be played between New Zealand and Pakistan on November 9 in Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney.
The final match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 will be played on November 13 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne.
