After completing his sensational return to the T20I side of the Indian cricket team in 2022, veteran gloveman Dinesh Karthik secured his spot for the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup. Karthik was rewarded for his performances in the South Africa, Ireland, England and West Indies series when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the star-studded squad of the Rohit Sharma-led side for the Asia Cup 2022 on Monday.
While many fans and pundits expect Karthik to feature in the world-class middle-order of the Indian team at the Asia Cup 2022, former India opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth expressed his reservation against the same notion. Srikkanth, who was a part of Kapil Dev’s World Cup-winning side in the 1983 edition, has opined that veteran wicketkeeper-batter Karthik will probably be a reserve batter for Team India at the Asia Cup.
“No.8 would have been Shami. I had picked Shami in my team. He’s not there. So No. 8 would be Chahal. Medium pacers have to be Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh. Now I feel they will bring in Deepak Hooda as an extra floater. So between 7 and 8 it could be Jadeja or Hooda. Looks like it. That’s the best combination. Because if you pick three spinners then you will get into problem. 3 pacers, three spinners – that would be a bit too much. Dinesh Karthik will probably be a reserve batsman. I don’t know whether he will be in the XI. I have my doubts there,” Srikkanth said.
Karthik has featured in the Asia Cup squad alongside superstar Rishabh Pant while wicketkeepers Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson were overlooked by selectors for the showpiece event. The 37-year-old has scored 591 runs for India in 47 T20 matches. Rohit-led Team India will meet arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup opener on August 28.
