2017 ICC Champions Trophy: 5 reasons why Dinesh Karthik deserves to play ahead of Yuvraj Singh

#3 Relatively more playing time in England in the past few years

Dinesh Karthik scored two centuries during the warm-up matches of the previous Champions Trophy

Yuvraj Singh last played an ODI in England nearly 10 years back and even though Karthik has played sporadically in England, he still has played more compared to Yuvi. Karthik was a regular in the Indian side during the previous Champions Trophy where he scored two magnificent centuries against Sri Lanka and Australia during the warm-up matches.

During the main tournament, Karthik did not have much to offer in most matches due to the brilliant starts provided by Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. Nevertheless, he still managed to score a half-century against West Indies at Birmingham. Karthik scored 82 runs in four innings at an average of 41.

The reason why this factor should be considered while choosing the playing XI is because a lot has changed since Yuvraj last played an ODI in England. The impact of T20 cricket on ODIs has been so much that scoring 300 on any pitch has become mainstream. Besides, Karthik’s sensational 94 yesterday gives him a certain edge over Yuvraj.