Rishabh Pant supporters are slamming India head coach Rahul Dravid for his rigid stand against the explosive wicketkeeper batter.

The social media fury against Rahul Dravid over Rishabh Pant's non-inclusion in India's playing XI has been mounting in the last few days because the team's fans are concerned about India's vulnerable middle order.

https://twitter.com/RP17Fan/status/1588456666919751681

 

In the four matches India has played so far in the T20 World, they have largely won games because of the brilliance of one man – Virat Kohli. The former India captain has been phenomenal in the tournament, hitting three half-centuries with a strike rate of well over 140. He's currently the leading scorer in the T20 World Cup with 220 runs.

Besides Kohli, the likes of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav have hit one fifty each in the elite T20 competition.

But India's lower middle order comprising Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, and Axar Patel is yet to fire Down Under. Dinesh Karthik and Axar Patel have looked completely out of sorts with the bat, raising concerns among Team India's admirers.

Many have expressed their opinion that India should replace Dinesh Karthik with Rishabh but Rahul Dravid has continuously defended the veteran Tamil Nadu cricketer.

Even Australia great Ian Chappell is furious with Team India's selection in the T20 World Cup as he slammed Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid for picking Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant.

Widely regarded as one of the most destructive batters in world cricket at the moment, Rishabh Pant has tasted immense success in Australia in the past.

During the 2019-20 Test series Down Under, the southpaw not only subdued the Australian pacers in Brisbane but also tormented them with his ultra-aggressive batting, making India the first team in history to register back-to-back series triumphs there.

Moreover, being a left-hander, Rishabh Pant will also add a different dimension to India's XI, considering all the batters in their line-up are right-handers.

If this wasn't enough, current wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik has been going through a slump and has hardly contributed with the bat. At times, even his wicketkeeping has also been under fire.

So far in the four matches that Dinesh Karthik has played in the T20 World Cup in Australia, he has managed to score just 14 runs with 7 off 5 deliveries against Bangladesh being his highest.

In the previous game against South Africa, Dinesh Karthik had a wonderful opportunity to bail India out of a tough position but failed to do so. Instead, he was heavily criticized for making 6 runs off 15 balls to put additional pressure on the batters coming after him.

“What has Tim David done at the international level? Sometimes, selectors pick players on domestic form, and I think India is a classic example. They are picking Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant… ridiculous! I mean, Rishabh Pant should be playing every game. So, that's the tendency,” legendary Australian cricketer Ian Chappell told Sydney Morning Herald.

“I've been saying to wait on Tim David, let's play him after the World Cup, get him some international matches. Not just belt the average 120kmh guys, belt the 150kmh guys. Because that's not so easy,” he stated.

Earlier, the legendary Virender Sehwag, 1983 World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev and former India all-rounder Madan Lal had urged the Indian team management, including captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid to include Rishabh Pant in the playing XI in place of out-of-form Dinesh Karthik.

“This should have been the case from the first day. Pant has played Tests and ODIs there, and has performed. When did Dinesh Karthik last play in Australia? This isn't a Bangalore wicket. I said this even today that Pant should've been in the team instead of Hooda, Pant has the experience of playing here. He broke Gabba's pride in his legendary knock),” Virender Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.com.

“I want to say that since we have Rishabh Pant, now is the time India need him. It felt as if Dinesh Karthik would get the job done, but factoring in the wicketkeeping as well, I feel that if India have that left-hander option in the team, this team would look complete,” Kapil Dev said.

“Rishabh Pant has to play irrespective of whether DK plays or not. You have to give him encouragement if you want him to play. He is such a big batsman and you are just tossing him up and down like a coin. He is bound to lose his confidence. We all know he is a match-winner. So, Pant has to play, whether DK is there or not,” Madan Lal said in a conversation with India Today.

With a semifinal spot on the line, India will take on Zimbabwe in their last Group 2 game in Melbourne on Sunday.