Should Rishabh Pant Open for India in T20Is? Dinesh Karthik Explains
Dinesh Karthik opened up on what could be the ideal batting position for Rishabh Pant in T20Is.
Team India’s wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik opined on the ideal batting position of Delhi batter Rishabh Pant in T20 Internationals.
The young wicket-keeper batter has found great success in the Tests and ODIs but he still has a name to make for himself in the shortest format of the game.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, on Friday (November 18) during the postponed first T20I match in Wellington, Karthik conceded that Pant should bat up in the order, precisely as an opener in the T20Is.
“When it comes to Rishabh Pant, I think he has sealed his spot in Test cricket and to a large extent in ODI cricket as well. In T20s, he bats in a different position for his franchise and comes in a different spot in the Indian team and they are trying to figure out where to fit him.”
“When you have Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya, where do you fit in a Rishabh Pant? We do need a left-hander, but where do we play him? We know what Kohli does at No.3. Let’s not even talk about Suryakumar Yadav, he’s the best in the business in the world,” he said
His Strike Rate is Highest When He Opens: Dinesh Karthik
Karthik further said that Pant should be used as an opener in T20Is because he prefers to bat when the field is up during a power play and his career strike rate is better against the new ball than it is in the middle or the death overs.
“Right away, we come down to Pant at No.5. Do we want him to bat there or let’s see if we can allow him to open? Because we know one thing for sure, his ability to play shots. And when the field is up, he can go all-in the powerplay so we can allow him to open.”
“Interestingly, his strike rate is highest when he opens. He likes the field up, he likes to take on bowlers and put them under pressure. He is second to none when it comes to stroke play and has baffled a lot of international bowlers of high pedigree. We need to embrace the fact that there will be a few failures from him, but he is a terrific player.“
The left-hander is currently a part of India’s T20I squad for the series against New Zealand. He has also been appointed the vice-captain for the series.