Dinesh Karthik’s exclusion from the Indian squad for the five-match ODI series against Australia came as a big shock for many as the MSK Prasad-led BCCI selection committee announced the teams on Friday. Karthik, despite playing crucial knocks down the order in the four matches he played this year, was replaced by young Rishabh Pant as the second-wicketkeeper. Now, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also feels this might be the end of the road for Karthik in ODI cricket as selectors are looking at him now as a T20I specialist only.
“His fans will feel sorry because with the opportunity he has got, he has done as well as he could but I feel with this selection or non-selection of Karthik, India have told everyone that we look at Karthik as a T20 batsman and his 50-over future is over as far as we are concerned,” said Manjrekar in conversation with ESPNCricinfo.
Karthik has been exceptional with the bat in the little opportunity he managed to get in the ODI format. Since 2017 Champions Trophy, He has played 20 matches for India scoring 425 runs at an average of 47.22 which includes eight unbeaten knocks. However, Manjrekar feels that despite his strong numbers he has not played an innings like Ambati Rayudu did in New Zealand where he scored a match-defining 90 to revive India’s innings.
“He has done well in the opportunities he has got, but he has been around for a long time and the selectors are thinking just like me – World Cup, big stage, big match, 50-overs cricket, Dinesh Karthik. Ambati Rayudu by playing that innings in New Zealand when he put India on the track of recovery and got the team to get a big score. Dinesh Karthik hasn’t played that kind of an innings. He has mostly played the role of a finisher. So this is where the numbers are disregarded by the selectors, the captain, the management and they are thinking temperamentally so far what we have seen of Karthik, is he someone who will excite us a 50-overs cricket at World Cup and they have said no and I don’t grudge them for that,” Manjrekar explained.
