Irfan Pathan has his say on potential selection of Dinesh Karthik for T20 World Cup 2024

Former Indian bowling all-rounder Irfan Pathan who has been observing Indian cricketers’ performances in the ongoing IPL edition has shared some insights on the potential selection of Dinesh Karthik for the T20 World Cup 2024.

The marquee event will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States from June 1 to June 29, 2024. The national selectors are indeed keeping a tab on the players’ performances in IPL 2024 and it remains to be seen which players will make the cut in India’s squad.

Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik has been in impressive form in this season’s IPL. Even several experts and commentators zeroed in on Dinesh Karthik’s selection for T20 World Cup. However, Irfan Pathan thinks otherwise as he backed Rishabh Pant over Dinesh Karthik.

The former Indian cricketer backed his claim by stating that the senior wicketkeeper already had enough chances to play for Team India. He reckons that the experimentation with Karthik hasn’t quite yielded positive results, especially in the last T20 World Cup.

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Rishabh Pant is a match-winner: Irfan Pathan

The 39-year-old strongly feels that Rishabh Pant should be given the green light over Dinesh Karthik for the main event. While speaking on Star Sports, the former cricketer also reserved the highest respect for Pant by calling him a ‘match-winner’.

“Indian cricket has tried Dinesh Karthik before. But it didn’t work for them. So, I think they have the right guy at the moment, who is in form, as far as the wicketkeeping is concerned and as far as middle-order is concerned. I think selectors will be on the same page,” he said.

“They would want to take someone like Rishabh Pant rather than thinking about Dinesh Karthik. He had his fair share of chances when it comes to playing for India. Unfortunately, in the last T20 World Cup, he did not do that great whenever he got the opportunity. I think Rishabh Pant is the guy whom you should take to the World Cup,” added Irfan Pathan.

“After a long injury layoff, coming back, leading a side, wicketkeeping, batting in difficult situations. Great news for Indian cricket. Pant is a match-winner. His white-ball cricket has actually gotten better. His Test cricket was always up there,” he said.

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