4 Reasons why Dinesh Karthik’s exclusion isn’t the end of the road for him

#2 Rishabh Pant’s moment of truth

Pant is being given another chance to stake his claim

Rishabh Pant has taken the cricketing fraternity by storm after his belligerent performances in the Test arena. Blessed with the ability to annihilate the best of bowling attacks, his fearlessness has been refreshing for the Indian team.

Pant is a like for like replacement for Karthik. Both are wicket-keepers and the pair boasts of the ability to increase the scoring rate at the back end of an innings.

However, with Pant in the mix, the Indian team would possess a left-hander in the middle order to counter the threat that left-arm spinners and leg spinners might pose. Thus, India simply had to explore the option of Pant before narrowing down on their alternatives.

If Pant, Vijay Shankar and KL Rahul bring their A game to the fore, Karthik could well have played the last ODI of his career. Yet, the following is easier said than done. Thus, Karthik’s road to the World Cup has only hit a stumbling block and certainly not crashed into a boulder.