One of the toughest selection dilemmas that Team India has faced in the ongoing T20 World Cup is choosing between two wicketkeeper batters, veteran Dinesh Karthik and a young and explosive Rishabh Pant and on all three occasions so far captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid have preferred the former ahead of Rishabh Pant. However, former India all-rounder Madan Lal doesn't think that Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid have taken the best decision in the interest of the Indian cricket team. In a no-holds-barred attack on Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, Madan Lal has accused the duo of treating Rishabh Pant like a coin toss and undermining his confidence by not picking him in the starting XI.
Madan Lal's harsh words for Dravid and Rohit come at a time when many cricket pundits have urged the Indian team management to make changes in their squad for the Bangladesh fixture scheduled to take place in Adelaide on Wednesday.
Moreover, Dinesh Karthik hasn't lit up the Australian pitches with fours and sixes. Instead, he has looked rusty in the middle. The last time when an opportunity came his way to help the team during a difficult phase against South Africa, DK perished for 6 off 15 balls.
Besides his poor returns with the bat, Dinesh Karthik's wicketkeeping has been well below standards, to say the least. He has already missed multiple stumpings and catches in the T20 World Cup and India can ill afford such mistakes if Rohit Sharma and company want to progress through to the semifinals and beyond.
“Whether Dinesh Karthik is available or not, Pant has to play. And give him that encouragement. 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 told India Today.
“India's T20 World Cup campaign has received a blow because if you had won [against South Africa], you must have qualified [for T20 World Cup] or made your path easier. It is also a wake-up call because we didn’t perform as we would have liked after winning the toss. I would like to commend the bowlers because, at one stage, we thought that we could win the match,” Madan Lal added.
“In T20 cricket, you have to be vigilant. Twenty-20 games can slip anytime. In the beginning, we thought of winning the game, but in the end, the opposition won the match. India can't afford to take any match lightly because they must win both matches,” Madan Lal stated.
However, Madan Lal isn't the first Indian cricketer to question Rishabh Pant's exclusion from the national team's games during the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Before Madan Lal, the legendary Virender Sehwag and Kapil Dev, and former India opener Wasim Jaffer have all shared similar thoughts on the subject.
“Going forward, do we stick with KL Rahul? Is there a change needed in the top-order? Sometimes, you are in a form where you’re unable to score runs and you’re failing continuously, then the pressure piles on you. Maybe Rishabh Pant can open the batting for India. That will be a spot for him, and Axar Patel comes back in for the next game (in place of Hooda). India will have to have a look on this matter. It is to be seen if they stick with KL Rahul, or do they want to change something at the top,” Wasim Jaffer told CricTracker.
“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.
A few days ago, 1983 World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev had argued in favor of Rishabh Pant's inclusion in India's T20 World Cup playing XI Down Under.
“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.
On Wednesday, India will have an opportunity to secure their spot in the last four of the prestigious competition in Australia when they face Bangladesh in a crucial Group 2 clash in Adelaide.
An Indian will take them to six points, which would almost guarantee them a place in the semis. But a loss will put their campaign in jeopardy and that's why Rohit Sharma and his colleagues would not want to take any chances whatsoever against the Bangladeshi team which is yet to lose a game in the event.
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