After missing the eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, there were some doubts about Manish Pandey’s fitness and whether the Kolkata Knight Riders batsman will recover in time for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Those fears were confirmed when he was ruled out of the tournament and Dinesh Karthik named as his replacement.
The 31-year-old wicketkeeper batsman from Tamil Nadu may not have played an ODI since 2014 but there can be little doubt about the merits of his inclusion. Karthik has done more than enough to justify a comeback and merely highlights the emphasis the selectors have placed on domestic form.domestic form.domestic form.domestic form.
Here are five reasons why Dinesh Karthik is the ideal replacement for Manish Pandey in India’s Champions Trophy squad:
Excellent form
The selection of Dinesh Karthik is another valid example of a player getting back into the side on the sheer weight of numbers in the domestic circuit. The 2016/17 season was one in which the Tamil Nadu keeper excelled across all formats and earned his place on merit, even if it came after an injury to a key member of the squad.
Nearly 2,000 runs in the season across all formats signifies a man in form. Those runs didn’t all just come from the IPL where he was one of the few bright sparks for Gujarat Lions scoring 361 runs at an average of over 35 and strike rate of 140.
In the Ranji Trophy, he scored over 700 runs at an average of nearly 55 while he put on an exhibition of batting in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Deodhar Trophy (both List-A) where he scored a staggering 854 runs at an average of 85.4 and strike rate of 105.
Provides flexibility
One of the issues that India have is that a lot of their batsmen are good at a certain position and can’t really play more than one role effectively. Virat Kohli is arguably the best No.3 in the world, Rohit Sharma, one of the best openers and the duo of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni are excellent finishers.
The addition of Dinesh Karthik affords the captain flexibility in the batting order as he can play anywhere in the top six. Although he is primarily seen as a middle-order batsman, he has batted from No.1 to No.7 for India and has the skill set to serve as a backup opener, able middle-order understudy or even a finisher.
With a plethora of finishers in the likes of Dhoni, Yuvraj, Jadhav and Pandya, the addition of someone who brings something different to the table and play innovative shots as well can only be a good thing.play innovative shots as well can only be a good thing.
In case of any injury or need for change, Karthik can slot right in as he can play a variety of roles. The fact that he is in good nick as well only bodes well for his chance of success in the role that he is asked to perform.
Brings an air of innovation
In an era of switch hits, ramp shots, scoops and reverse sweeps, India's batting line-up is surprisingly orthodox. While there is little doubt about their batting credentials or hitting ability, the air of unorthodoxy is surprisingly absent in India's batting line-up.
The likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are more likely to use placement and power rather than innovation to get their runs. For all of their undoubted talent, they don't plant the seed of doubt in the bowler’s mind about what shot they are going to play next, for everything is fairly orthodox.
The addition of Dinesh Karthik certainly ensures that that box is ticked off as well. For someone who has a solid technique and the power to clear boundaries, the 31-year-old makes the most of his bag of tricks and pulls out shots when the bowlers least expect it.
He did it in IPL 2017 as well, on more than one occasion. Innovation is always welcome, especially in this largely orthodox Indian batting line-up.
Backup for MS Dhoni
If there was one major concern with India’s Champions Trophy squad, it was the lack of a back-up for MS Dhoni in the wicketkeeping department. With Kedar Jadhav seen as an off-spinner and nothing more than a part-time keeper, India didn’t have some to fill in for Dhoni.
Now, they finally have someone in the shape of Dinesh Karthik. The pair have played together before, in the last edition of the Champions Trophy. The 31-year-old might have the numbers of a top-order batsman but his ability behind the stumps is far from part-time.
Even if he isn’t as quick behind it as MS Dhoni, he affords the option of a backup that wasn’t there before. The fact that he is the only keeper to have more dismissals in IPL than Dhoni merely highlights his credentials as a full-time wicketkeeper. That he is a more than capable batsman as well means that he serves an adequate backup on both fronts.
Experience
Arguably the biggest advantage of having Dinesh Karthik in the side as a replacement for Manish Pandey is the wealth of experience that he provides. Not that the squad is lacking in it, but in a major tournament, you can certainly use all the help that you get and in that regard, DK is the ideal man in this scenario.
He might have played more IPL matches than games for India, but he has still featured in over 70 ODIs and was even part of the squad during India's Champions Trophy campaign last time around.
The fact that he has played a dozen games in England and has the technique to handle the moving ball as well is an added bonus, especially as he is replacing Pandey, who is not only short on international experience but also on games in England, where conditions will be different.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
