Indian team is presently at the top of the table in Group 2 of the T20 World Cup. The victories over Pakistan, Netherlands, and Bangladesh with a sole defeat against South Africa in the four matches, and further with a win against Zimbabwe on Sunday, the team is sure to secure a place in the semi-finals. Team India has stuck largely with the same order and combination against the proteas, where Axar Patel had made way for Deepak Hooda.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has donned the gloves behind the stumps in all four matches, while youngster Rishabh Pant has been on the bench. Karthik hasn’t been able to fire as expected in his finisher’s role. He hit single-digit scores in the three matches where he batted. While Karthik was expected to be the first-choice player in the role ahead of the World Cup as well, there are some in the cricket fraternity who still believe Pant should be playing ahead of the 37-year-old keeper in the XI; one of them is Australia’s legendary former batter Ian Chappell.
While discussing Australia’s selection of Tim David in the T20 World Cup squad to Sydney Morning Herald, Chappell made its comparison with the Indian setup, drawing the example of Karthik’s return to the side.
“What has Tim David done at the international level? Sometimes, selectors pick people on domestic form, and I think India is a classic example. They are picking Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant, ridiculous! Rishabh Pant should be playing every game. But, that’s a tendency,” Chappell said on Sydney Morning Herald.
“I have been saying ‘Let’s wait on Tim David, let’s play him after the World Cup, get him some international matches.’ And let’s see if he can belt them around. And Not just belt the average 120 kmh guys, can he belt the 150 kmh guys? Because that’s not so easy.”
David has played in three matches at the World Cup so far; while he didn’t get to bat in one, his scores in the other two were 11 (against New Zealand) and 15* (against Ireland).
