Pant has got to be a must in Indian line-up, says Gilchrist
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|| CF DESK ||
Veteran Australia wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist has put his weight behind Rishab Pant, stating that the southpaw should "definitely" be placed in the playing XI for India.
India named their T20 World Cup 2022 squad with both Pant and Dinesh Karthik among the 15 players flying to Australia. However, Gilchrist believes Pant has distinct chances over Dinesh Karthik in the playing eleven.
"The dare of Rishabh Pant and the courage for him, the way in which he takes on bowling attacks," Gilchrist said.
"I think he’s got to be a must in that Indian line-up. They can play together, but I think Rishabh Pant has definitely got to be in there,"
The Australia legend mentioned his liking for Karthik's "versatility" and did not rule out having the two of them in the same line-up.
"It’ll be interesting to see if they can both play in the same team. I think they can. What they bring to a team … the versatility of Dinesh Karthik, he can play at the top of the order, he can, as he has done more so later in his career, be in the middle and late overs to finish. He has a really nice touch game,"
Pant has 934 runs in 58 T20Is at an average of 23.94 and a strike-rate of 126.21. The highly rated wicketkeeper batter hasn't quite had the success expected of him in this format.
