Sunil Gavaskar backs Dinesh Karthik as third opener for 2019 World Cup
GETTY
Sunil Gavaskar had supported Dinesh Karthik for his ability and experience to play as a spare opener in the upcoming ICC World Cup. Gavaskar had also picked his favorites for the World Cup squad and overlooked players like K L Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja for the tournament in England.
Dinesh Karthik had been a part of the One Day International squad for India since the Asia Cup but failed to live up to the expectations and was dropped for the ODI series against Australia at home. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul were given the nod to the team for their performances in the recent past.
Sunil Gavaskar had expressed that the wicketkeeper-batsman would be an ideal choice as a spare opener because Karthik had opened the batting for India in Tests before and so his addition would bring about flexibility to the squad. The home series against Australia and the 2019Ā IPL being the only opportunities remaining for the players to grab a spot ahead of the World Cup, dropping Karthik has brought about serious questions amongst the elite and the critics.
"There should be flexibility in the team. Dinesh Karthik has opened in Test matches in the past so he can do it in ODIs too," Gavaskar was quoted saying by India Today.Ā
The former batting legend had also picked his
"I have 13 names in my mind who will surely board the flight to England and they are Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav," Sunil Gavaskar said after backing Karthik as an extra opener.
Gavaskar had mentioned his disapproval over Mohammed Siraj and Khaleel Ahmed for not being impressive and seeks another bowling option in Umesh Yadav. He did not hesitateĀ to pick Vijay Shankar among the other options citing that India could afford to play two all-rounders in the English conditions.Ā
Ā "I think Vijay Shankar can be the 14th player. Seeing the swinging conditions in England, India can play two fast bowling all-rounders. But I am not too very sure of the 15th player. Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj have not been that impressive. Umesh Yadav can be an option and I think selectors must keep an eye on these three bowlers," he added.
Cricket FootBall Kabaddi
Basketball Hockey
SportsCafe
