“You need someone in MS Dhoni’s role” – Ravi Shastri backs Dinesh Karthik as finisher in T20 World Cup
Former India coach Ravi Shastri has backed Dinesh Karthik to take care of the finishing duties for Team India in the upcoming T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in Australia later this year. Ever since MS Dhoni has retired from international cricket, India are searching for someone to handle the finishing duties.
Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik emerged as the best finisher during the recently-concluded Indian Premier League 2022. The Tamil Nadu batter perfectly played the role of a finisher for Royal Challengers Bangalore and helped them to qualify for the playoffs. It has been a second coming for the 37-year-old as the wicketkeeper has already earned a national comeback for the South Africa T20I series.
Now, Ravi Shastri has opined that Karthik needs to grab this opportunity against South Africa to remain in the contention for the T20 World Cup.
“His chances are very good,” Says Ravi Shastri about Dinesh Karthik’s chances for the T20 World Cup
“This is his opportunity. If and when he gets an opportunity in these games, he has to do it with India colors on. We know he has got the experience, so this becomes extremely vital,” said Ravi Shastri in a conversation with Star Sports.
The former head coach also talked about Rishabh Pant’s role in the team and suggested that the left-handed youngster performs better up in the order but not in a finisher’s role. He also added that the Indian team needs someone to fill MS Dhoni‘s boots in the finisher’s role lower down the order.
“You have to see from the team’s point of view, what are they looking for? Do they want a keeper who will bat at the top of the order or do they want a keeper who will be the finisher? I will go for the latter. You need a keeper who will do MS Dhoni’s role, let’s put it that way. There is already Rishabh Pant who can bat in the top four or five in T20 cricket, but you want someone who can keep and finish a game because there aren’t too many finishers now with MS (Dhoni) having quit. So, I think that’s where his chances are very very good,” concluded Ravi Shastri.
For the unversed, RCB signed the veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik in the mega-auction ahead of the IPL 2022. With AB de Villiers retired, the franchise defined Karthik’s role as a finisher and he took the opportunity with both hands. In IPL 2022, Karthik amassed 330 runs in 16 matches at an outstanding strike rate of over 183.
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