IND vs PAK LIVE: Rishabh Pant dropped – Rohit Sharma made a shocking call on Sunday with the Indian captain opting to drop Rishabh Pant for the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan. A maverick batsman in the middle order, Pant was considered to be one of the first picks in the side but was benched for the key game. It was the veteran Dinesh Karthik who got the nod on the side having worked his way into the side as a finisher. Follow India vs Pakistan LIVE updates from Asia Cup 2022 on Insidesport.IN
IND vs PAK LIVE: SHOCKER in biggest CLASH, Rohit Sharma DROPS Rishabh Pant for Dinesh Karthik against Pakistan, Follow Asia Cup 2022 LIVE Updates
In what came as a huge shock for Indian fans, Rishabh Pant was dropped from the Indian team when captain Rohit Sharma named his playing XI for the Pakistan clash. Pant was expected to slot in the middle order for India but has now been relegated to the bench comeback man Karthik starting.
Gautam Gambhir said, “it was a massive surprise to not see Rishabh Pant in the playing XI”.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 28, 2022
Pant has been in fine form across all formats, and scores centuries in ODIs and tests in England. He played impact full cameos in the West Indies but failed to retain his place in the side. The 25-year-old had scored a stunning 44 in his last inning for India but Rohit went for role-specific players, with Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Dinesh Karthik making up the lower middle order.
Rishabh Pant vs Dinesh Karthik in T20Is since May
| Players | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 50 | 4s | 6s |
| Rishabh Pant | 11 | 2 | 200 | 44 | 22.22 | 128.2 | 0 | 20 | 6 |
| Dinesh Karthik | 13 | 4 | 192 | 55 | 21.33 | 133.33 | 1 | 22 | 6 |
IND vs PAK LIVE: SHOCKER in biggest CLASH, Rohit Sharma DROPS Rishabh Pant for Dinesh Karthik against Pakistan, Follow Asia Cup 2022 LIVE Updates
Dinesh Karthik’s selection meanwhile hints at India’s T20 World Cup plans for Australia with the veteran keeper specialising as a finisher. The 36-year-old made a stunning comeback to the team earlier this year following a stunning season with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
It was always a challenging decision to pick one between Pant and Karthik with both having performed admirably well in the recent past for India. Rohit opted to pick Karthik for his ability to finish games and the veteran keeper will be keen to repay the faith shown in him.
IND vs PAK LIVE: SHOCKER in biggest CLASH, Rohit Sharma DROPS Rishabh Pant for Dinesh Karthik against Pakistan, Follow Asia Cup 2022 LIVE Updates
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