Rishabh Pant being preferred over Dinesh Karthik for ODI series against Australia is a big indication that the young wicketkeeper-batsman could be part of the World Cup squad; KL Rahul recalled
India's Rishabh Pant during the recently-concluded New Zealand tour. Pic/AFP
With Team India set to play their final international series before the World Cup in England (May 30 to July 14), the team picked for the five ODIs against Australia was more or less the final indication from the national selectors.
The MSK Prasad-led selection committee yesterday decided to choose young gun Rishabh Pant, 21, over experienced Dinesh Karthik for the ODI series against Australia which begins on March 2. Karthik and Pant are, however, a part of the two T20I series against Australia that kicks off on February 24.
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Dinesh Karthik
Virat Kohli, who joined the selection meeting over a conference call, is back as captain for both series after being rested for the last two ODIs and the three T20Is in New Zealand. Pant has returned to the ODI squad after being rested for the NZ tour following the Australia Test series triumph.
Tug-of-war situation
There has been a tug-of-war situation for a while between Karthik and Pant for the second wicketkeeper's spot. Karthik seemed to be a certainty for a World Cup berth as he was the preferred choice since his last-over heroics in Sri Lanka albeit in a T20I final against Bangladesh last year.
Chief selector MSK Prasad (left) and Board's acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary at the BCCI headquarters yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera
Except in the West Indies ODI series where Pant was given a look-in, Karthik, who scored 38 runs in two innings v NZ in the ODI series, has been an integral part of the 50-over format. Chairman of selectors Prasad said they want to try out Pant, who has played only three ODIs v WI, before taking a final call.
"Prior to this, we had series in New Zealand and Australia where Karthik was chosen because Rishabh played four Test matches. We wanted him to get a good break. He had a 20-day break, and played a couple of one-day matches against England Lions in which he did extremely well. Then, we sent him to the T20 matches [in New Zealand]. So we want to give him a few ODIs also before taking a final call," Prasad said after announcing the 15-member squad for the ODI series.
When asked about Pant's batting position, Prasad said: "We have included him considering many factors - he is a left-hander and we are going to discuss it with the team management. Virat was also a part of the meeting and we will figure out the best possible batting position because being a left-hander, there is also that advantage of a left-hand-right-hand combination. We're discussing all that."
Coach Ravi Shastri had recently hinted about experimenting with Pant at No. 3 while skipper Kohli could bat at No. 4. The selectors also brought back Siddarth Kaul in the mix [for the first two ODIs v Aus]. The Punjab pacer will be replaced by Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the last three ODIs.
IPL form could be a factor
Though the team for last three ODIs v Australia could be considered as the likely 15 for the World Cup, the form of the players in the IPL could also play a major role in picking the final squad.
Meanwhile, top-order batsman KL Rahul was recalled following his suspension for his controversial interview on the Koffee with Karan show where he indulged in loose talk about women. Rahul's last limited overs appearance for India was against Australia in a T20 match at Sydney last November. He scored 14 off 20 balls in India's six wicket win.
Selector Khoda's son badly injured in bike accident
National selector Gagan Khoda could not attend yesterday's selection committee meeting in Mumbai to pick the teams for the one-dayers and T20Is against Australia after his son met with an accident. It is learnt that Khoda's son is badly injured in the bike accident which forced the former India cricketer to skip the meeting held yesterday at the BCCI headquarters.
Squad for T20I series v Australia
V Kohli (capt), R Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, S Dhawan, R Pant, D Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), H Pandya, K Pandya, V Shankar, Y Chahal, J Bumrah, U Yadav, S Kaul, M Markande.
Squad for first two ODIs v Aus
V Kohli (capt), R Sharma (vc), S Dhawan, A Rayudu, K Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), H Pandya, J Bumrah, M Shami, Y Chahal, K Yadav, V Shankar, R Pant, S Kaul, KL Rahul.
Squad for last three ODIs v Aus
V Kohli (capt), R Sharma (vc), S Dhawan, A Rayudu, K Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), H Pandya, J Bumrah, B Kumar, Y Chahal, K Yadav, M Shami, V Shankar, KL Rahul, R Pant.
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