Saba Karim wants Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant to step up in Bangladesh ODIs

Former India selector Saba Karim reckons captain Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant must deliver in the upcoming three-match ODI series in Bangladesh.

For the uninitiated, Rohit scored only 116 runs in six games in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. His only half-century came against the lower-ranked Netherlands.

The opening batter has played only six ODIs this year, scoring 171 runs at an average of 34.2, including two fifties. In Bangladesh, he has scored 331 runs in 13 ODIs at an average of 30.09, including three half-centuries.

Speaking to India News, Karim said:

“The biggest challenge for Rohit Sharma will be his batting. Your captaincy will automatically improve if you continue to perform. It’s important to score runs.”

Karim wants Team India to back Rishabh Pant in the ODI series before making a decision on his future. It's worth mentioning that the left-hander scored only 15 and 10 in the two ODIs against New Zealand last month.

“I’ll go ahead with Rishabh Pant. I want to see how he performs in three matches in Bangladesh. Decide his batting position and play him at No. 5. If he doesn’t perform, look at some alternatives. It could be Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson.”

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“It’s good” – Saba Karim on Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid unlikely to be granted break in ODIs till 2023 World Cup

Karim also likes the idea that captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid will not be granted leave from ODIs heading into the 2023 World Cup unless there's an emergency. He also wants India to identify their full-strength team ahead of the premier ICC tournament.

The former India player said:

“It’s good (no rest for captain and coach in ODIs till the 2023 World Cup) because we had a very big pool of T20 players. There were at least 30-35 players, and they experimented a lot in terms of combinations or spots. It didn’t benefit Team India. You should field a full-strength ODI team in upcoming matches. The players can skip T20Is.”

Rohit Sharma and Co. will play their opening ODI in Mirpur on Sunday (December 4). The remaining ODIs will be held on December 7 and 10.

India's squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen