ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semis, IND vs ENG: Who among Pant/Karthik would get the nod? Rohit answers

By Team Newsable | First Published Nov 9, 2022, 5:54 PM IST

India will be desperate to win against England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semis in Adelaide on Thursday. While the question remains as to who would get the nod between Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma has answered.

Young Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant eventually got a match in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, playing versus minnows Zimbabwe. Still, uncertainty remains if he will don the big gloves against England in the semi-final or if veteran Dinesh Karthik will be back in the fray. During the 2019 ICC World Cup, India didn't have a decided number four batter, and in the ongoing T20WC, the never-ending argument is about whether Pant should get the nod ahead of Karthik in the playing XI. While Karthik hasn't detonated in the role of a nominated finisher, Pant has been underwhelming in whatever Twenty20 International (T20I) opportunities he has had so far.

Skipper Rohit Sharma said that playing Pant versus Zimbabwe was a tactical move, keeping in mind the semi-final, but the captain was non-committal when asked who would be keeping the wickets on Thursday. "Considering that we did not know which team we would be playing in the semis before that Zimbabwe game, we wanted to allow a left-hander to counter some of the spinners who bowled in the middle for New Zealand and England. And we also thought Rishabh was the guy for us to go and give him some time. But again, what is going to happen tomorrow? I won't be able to tell you right now," Rohit elucidated.

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Rohit defends Axar Patel
It has been a forgettable T20WC for all-rounder Axar Patel. He conceded too many runs at an economy of nearly 10 per over. Yet, the skipper firmly backed the left-arm leg-spinner. "To be honest, not worried, as such, because he hardly got to bowl in this tournament. Except for that game against the Netherlands, he's not bowled full overs of his quota, only because of the conditions it has to offer," said Rohit.

"We've got four seamers who have particularly bowled all of their quota, which means the spinners will not bowl their overs. If you look at the conditions, except Sydney, all the grounds we've played had a lot to offer to the seamers, which means we never got an opportunity to bowl Axar in the powerplay, which is his speciality," Rohit added.

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Rohit also said he wouldn't abandon Axar for having one lousy tourney. "Guys can have one bad tournament. It doesn't mean that he needs to be out of form or not bowling well, or not being able to execute plans. The kind of space he's in for me is crucial, and when I talk to him and hear his thoughts, I feel that he's in a good space. And that is exactly what we want when you're about to play a game like that," he affirmed.

While Rohit defended Axar, Wednesday's training session had sufficient clues that fellow all-rounder Deepak Hooda can't be wholly ruled out, considering that he's a far more accomplished needed.

ALSO READ: ICC T20 World Cup 2022 - Suryakumar maintains top spot, Arshdeep rises to 23rd in T20I Rankings

Kohli gets hit during training
Former Indian skipper and top-order Virat Kohli sustained a painful blow in the groin area during Wednesday's net session when pacer Harshal Patel bowled. However, the team heaved a sigh of relief as the head batter returned to the nets within a few minutes. Rohit, who got hit on the right forearm on Tuesday, guaranteed that he is thoroughly fit. "I was hit yesterday, but it seems to be fine now. There was a little bruising, but it's wonderful now," he concluded.

(With inputs from PTI)

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