T20 World Cup 2022: “Don’t think dropping a player during a World Cup is the right thing” - Mohammad Kaif on Dinesh Karthik being ignored for the New Zealand tour

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif reckons that the announcement of squads for the upcoming series in the midst of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 has affected Dinesh Karthik’s confidence. The veteran keeper-batter has been dropped from the T20I squad for the New Zealand tour.

There were high hopes from the Tamil Nadu gloveman when he was picked in the 15-member Team India squad for the World Cup in Australia. However, the 37-year-old has registered scores of one, six, and seven during his three visits to the crease.

He was replaced by Rishabh Pant for India’s last Super 12 match against Zimbabwe on Sunday, November 6, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Hinting that the end of the road may be near for Karthik as far as international cricket is concerned, Kaif told Sportskeeda:

“I don’t think dropping a player (for a future series) during a World Cup is the right thing. If affects the player and he feels the pressure. This was clearly seen in Dinesh Karthik’s case.

“He is not part of the New Zealand tour. (Ravichandran) Ashwin is also not there. It is a clear indication that the duo will not play the shorter formats now. Karthik got his chances, but did not utilize them. The road ahead seems very difficult for him.”

Although Pant was dismissed for three against Zimbabwe, there are reports that the Indian team management is likely to retain him in the playing XI for the semi-final against England on Thursday, November 10.

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“I think only Pant will play now, whether he does well or not” - Mohammad Kaif

Asked about his preference between Pant and Karthik for the T20 World Cup semi-final, Kaif replied that he sees only the left-hander playing for India from here on.

Elaborating on his thoughts, the former India batter explained:

“I think only Pant will play now, irrespective of whether he does well or not. He is also not in great form, but I feel that in the upcoming games and going forward as well, Pant will be backed completely. The challenge for him is to grab his opportunities and play match-winning knocks for India.”

While the young wicketkeeper-batter has a terrific Test record, he has not been able to deliver the goods in white-ball cricket. The 25-year-old particularly has poor T20I numbers - 964 runs in 63 matches at an average of 23.51 and a strike rate of 127.