"There will be a toss-up between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant" - Dinesh Karthik on India's playing XI for 1st ODI vs Bangladesh

Wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes that KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will have to compete for a place in India's playing XI in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.

Karthik opined that Rahul is likely to be handed a role in the Indian middle order in ODIs. He pointed out that the right-handed batter will be preferred over Pant for the first ODI, given that the latter has landed in Bangladesh following a long flight from New Zealand.

The 37-year-old made these remarks during a discussion on Cricbuzz and suggested:

"No.5 is where we need to discuss and debate a bit. There will be a toss-up between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. I have a feeling that KL Rahul will play for sure.

"Rishabh Pant has taken a long flight from New Zealand and has probably just landed, so obviously, acclimatization is a factor. KL Rahul will be a proper middle-order batter at the 50-over World Cup."

Notably, Pant struggled for form during the Men in Blue's recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand. The southpaw managed just 25 runs from two innings, finishing with a dismal average of 12.50.

Speaking about India's starting XI, Karthik pointed out that the side could go with three spin-bowling all-rounders. He claimed that skipper Rohit Sharma would want to have an extra bowling option for ODIs. He elaborated:

"The one thing that I am very sure about Rohit Sharma is that he likes to have six options in the bowling department. This means that they will play all three finger spinners, who are also all-rounders.

"We have three spin options in Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Axar Patel. And throw-in a Deepak Chahar who can definitely give you something with the bat."

India and Bangladesh will battle it out in the first ODI of their series on Sunday, December 4. The much-awaited contest will be played at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

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"He has shown that he's a match-winner" - Dinesh Karthik backs Shreyas Iyer to retain his place in India's playing XI

Karthik went on to say that Shreyas Iyer has proved his mettle in ODI cricket with his superlative performances with the bat. He reckoned that the player would be India's No. 4 for the 50-over games in Bangladesh.

The veteran cricketer, however, added that things might be a little different when Suryakumar Yadav returns. Karthik suggested that there could be some changes to Shreyas' batting position once Suryakumar is back with the team, adding:

"I know his performances are plenty, and every time you give him an opportunity, he's shown that he's a match-winner. For me, he will start at No.4 for this series. But we have got to understand that Suryakumar Yadav is missing. Where is he going to bat? These questions will be answered as they play more bilateral series."

Notably, Shreyas received widespread praise for his batting exploits in the ODI series in New Zealand. With 129 runs from two innings, he finished as the leading run-getter for India in the rubber.