T20 World Cup 2024: Dinesh Karthik Proposes Kohli-Rohit Opening Pair, Rishabh Pant at No. 3

June 4, 2024 0 719

Dinesh Karthik suggested that for India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should open, Rishabh Pant should bat at number 3, while Yuzvendra Chahal might be left out.

As India’s T20 World Cup opener against Ireland in New York approaches, speculation about the team’s lineup has intensified. Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik shared his insights on Cricbuzz, reflecting on India’s performance in their warm-up game against Bangladesh.

In New York, India delivered a dominant all-round performance with key contributions from Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh. Karthik particularly praised Pant, who scored a crucial fifty after the early dismissals of Sanju Samson and Rohit Sharma.

“Rishabh Pant smashed it and batted beautifully. They lost Sanju Samson early, Rohit started okay but got it. It was a Rishabh Pant show, batted beautifully. The interesting part is whether they are looking at him as the number 3 or 4, which I think they will. The way he started was very very good,” he said.

Furthermore, Karthik shared his thoughts on India’s lineup for the T20 World Cup, suggesting the inclusion of Axar Patel alongside Ravindra Jadeja for their batting depth. According to Kartik, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would open the innings, and Yuzi Chahal would be left out. He also commented on Shivam Dube’s performance, noting his potential as a seventh bowling option.

“I have a feeling that they are keen on playing Axar. The fact that he also gives batting at number 8 and the fact that Chahal did not bowl tells us that they are looking at Axar to start the tournament,” DK said.

“He (Dube) is a worthy seventh bowling option to have if push comes to shove. On these slow pitches, he will be good. He bowled a lovely couple of slower ones in the 20th over, he got two wickets in those last few balls,” he added.

DK’s Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh