Will miss MS Dhoni but Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik can do well, says Rohit Sharma

11/04/2018

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Rohit Sharma has conceded that the services of MS Dhoni will certainly be missed the Indian team but backed youngster Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik to shine in the upcoming T20I series against Windies. Earlier, Dhoni was dropped from the T20I squad for the series against Windies and Australia.

After a brilliant performance against Jason Holder & Co. in the Test series and the ODI series that followed, the Indian cricket team gear up for a final showdown against the visitors in the three-match T20I series which will start on Sunday at Eden Gardens. However, India will be without skipper, Virat Kohli, and will be under the leadership of Rohit Sharma for the upcoming challenge.

A lot of people have been talking about the omission of World Cup winning captain, MS Dhoni, from the T20I squad for the ongoing series and for the tour against Australia as well. However, while Sharma conceded that the squad will miss the experience and skill set of MS Dhoni, the former also backed the likes of Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik to do well when given opportunities to showcase their talent.

"Dhoni has been such a massive player for us over the years. His experience in the middle, behind the stumps, will be missed but Rishabh and Dinesh are both keepers and they have a great opportunity to show what they are capable of," Rohit said on the eve of the series opener in Kolkata, reported Cricinfo.

"Rishabh and Dinesh have done well in T20s, whether it's their state side (Delhi and Tamil Nadu respectively) or their IPL teams. So it's a good time to test them. We can't go into the World Cup with limited resources so you need to keep options at hand."

The stand-in skipper was wary of the threat posed by the Caribbean outfit in the T20I format. With Kieron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite set to start for the visitors, the reigning world champions are not the same team that lost the Tests 2-0 and the ODIs 3-1.

"They have their own league, they have more experience and it's a format they enjoy the most. It won't be easy.

"We need to understand their strengths and weakness, but the focus is on our team instead of theirs. I think they are a dangerous team. They still are defending champions in T20 cricket, so of course, they are one of the strongest teams in the world when it comes to T20 cricket," added Sharma.

India's squad for the games in Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai included the likes of uncapped left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and Mumbai Indians all-rounder Krunal Pandya. Rohit said that resting and rotating players would help manage workloads and build bench strength.

"The balance is required, especially with the amount of cricket we play. We need to see what our bench strength is. Resting players and giving them a break is also necessary, keeping the workload and the World Cup ahead, we need to take those necessary steps.

"And we need to see the guys who are knocking on the door, and what they bring to the table. Come the World Cup, we should be prepared, not just with the 15 players but also those that are outside the 15. Lot of new faces in the team. Shahbaz is coming for the first time, Krunal has been part of the squad but has never played yet. So it's important for us to also understand what's the best possible squad for the World Cup," Sharma concluded.

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Will miss MS Dhoni but Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik can do well, says Rohit Sharma

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