According to the legendary batsman from India, Sunil Gavaskar, India will be able to have both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik in their playing XI for the forthcoming Twenty20 World Cup if HardikPandya takes on the role of the fifth bowler.
In their first game of the series, India will take against Pakistan in Melbourne on Sunday, led by Rohit Sharma.
“But if they opt to go with HardikPandya as a fifth bowler, then Rishabh Pant has the possibility to bat at number six and Karthik possibly at number seven, followed by the four bowlers.” According to the 73-year-old, all we can do now is wait and watch if it turns out to be the case.
“They would most likely want a left hander in the middle, but looking at the top four, who are in such excellent form, you sometimes ask yourself, ‘How many overs is Rishabh Pant going to get in?'”
Is he going to have three or four more chances to bat? And for three or four overs, would you rather have Karthik or Rishabh?’
Therefore, all of these scenarios will be evaluated, and then they will make a decision on this issue,” he explained.
Gavaskar also discussed the Pakistani fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and remarked, “I think that’s what their primary concern was, about his fitness and how he will form up.” And without a doubt, in the two overs that he bowled, he demonstrated that he is already back to full fitness.
“So, one of your headaches has been alleviated. When it came to catching, I believe they were a lot better than what we witnessed in England.
“Their fielding on the ground was of a very high quality. These are the two factors that were giving them cause for concern, and they have demonstrated growth in each of these areas. Considering this, I don’t believe they’ll be plagued by any apprehension when they face India on Sunday,” Gavaskar said in conclusion.
